The New Heart of Slifer
by Pete the Rock
Summary: After being caught in a water spout vortex, Ash and Pikachu attend Duel Academy where they work with Jaden on the mystery of why they've been summoned.
1. Stormy Starts

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! GX._

* * *

 _ **The New Heart of Slifer**_

 _Chapter 1: Stormy Starts_

* * *

Overcast skies hung above an island. Crackling lightning, booming thunder and pounding rain poured the island and on the four different complexes with different roofs. In the middle of the island erected a gray school structure. The front had a red "D" over a blue "A" signs connected. One complex had a red roof. Inside were two teens. A brunette teen young man in red and a teal-haired teen male sat in the same room, anxious for the storm to pass. "Man, this bites!" the brunette complained. Just appearing, a transparent brown ball of fur with green claws and feet and angel wings emerged, Its yellow eyes also sought for the storm to stop. "I could be dueling Chazz right now!" The teal-haired also had a transparent animal, a lavender cat with red eyes and a ruby on its forehead.

"Relax, Jaden," he attempted to ease the brunette. "This storm isn't suppose to last long. Before you know it, the skies will be clear for some more dueling today." The storm had dampen the spirits of those in other complexes like a castle-like structures with blue roofs or a neater complex with a yellow roof. The storm raged the island for another hour before it broke. The rainclouds swept over the island but with the sun peaking back out, the teens filed out to enjoy the rest of the day.

"That's more like it!" Jaden took a whiff of the post-storm air, the scent reinvigorating his spirit. The teal-haired brought out two silver wrist gauntlets with what seemed to be blades with five blue depressed slots. The middle had an LED counter screen with "LP" at one end and a chamber underneath.

"Jaden, here!" The teal-haired tossed one which Jaden caught effortlessly and applied to his arm.

"Right, can't battle Chazz without the Duel Disk. Thanks, Jesse." Jaden led the way toward the large structure in the middle of the island. That's when Jesse had an idea.

"How about a warmup before Chazz? You look like you may need some practice after that rain delay." The idea seemed to want Jaden out of the weathering slump. Jaden smiled, encouraged to try it.

"Sure. You don't want to be rusty after a storm like that. Get your game on!" A thrust from his arm brought the blades of each side of the gauntlet to meet and lock before it adjusted to the outside of the arm. He brought out a deck of cards, the back being red with a brown oval in the center. Before inserting the cards to a holder of the Duel Disk, a wail. Both boys turned to the voice, being the winged fuzzball that continued to howl.

"What's up with Winged Kuriboh?"

"I'm not quite sure…" Suddenly, mewing … The two now turned their attention to the cat. "Now Ruby's acting up."

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Ruby sprinted back to the complex and just as they circled around, two more young men stepped out. One was a sky blue-haired in tiny glasses and a blue uniform. The other was a moderately tanned muscled man with dreds wearing a yellow/brown bandanna with red eyes and a yellow vest.

"Jaden, what's going on?" the new blue-haired asked. Neither Jaden or Jesse answered as they ran passed the complex. It worried the tanned young man.

"They wouldn't be hustling like that without a cause, Sy!" he believed before starting his chase. "Let's move, soldier!"

"Hassleberry, wait!" Hassleberry scurried to catch up with Jaden and Jesse out to a beach. Stopped on the sand, Jaden and Jesse peered out to the ocean. Winged Kuriboh looked from its spot just above Jaden while Hassleberry and the blue-haired arrived.

"I don't see it, bro!" struggled Jaden. Winged Kuriboh wailed and Ruby mewed to say something was out there. Suddenly, a jet-ski popped from the water. This bode a bad omen. The blue jet-ski looked intact but held no rider.

"That can't be good," Jesse gulped. When Hassleberry found the jet-ski wading, he sprinted to the jetty where a kayak under a gray tarp stood near the rocks. Oars were inside the kayak.

"Here, soldier!" he yelled to Jaden. He threw the kayak across the water which Jaden boarded.

"Got it! Hop in!"

"On my way!" Hassleberry also boarded before grabbing an oar and both began to row out to the jet-ski. Within reach, Jaden examined the jet-ski after hopping on the seat. He saw the key in the ignition and turned it. No sound, no vibration.

"Jet-ski's out of commission." Suddenly, another splash. Jaden and Hassleberry spun to see a yellow mouse. The mouse had red circles for cheeks and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. It laid on top of someone in a black vest over a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Soldier, emergency!" Hassleberry reached the oar and pulled the mouse on board before Jaden stepped back on board the kayak. With Jaden's help, Hassleberry hoisted the person from the water. What emerged was a raven-haired boy and his red baseball cap flipped off.

"Is he okay?" Winged Kuriboh watched, hoping what they pulled wasn't just a body.

"Let's get to shore and go to work!" Jaden and Hassleberry rowed back to the beach. As the boy and mouse neared the shore, memories began to echo from somewhere.

" _Ash, come on!"_ a young woman's voice shouted. There was a pause.

" _I can't!"_ a young man's voice replied. _"My jet-ski! I can't get it to work!"_ Another pause…

" _Ash, Dawn, hurry!"_ one more young man yelled. _"A Water Spout! Ash, get out of there!"_

" _I can't! Whoa!"_ The voices went silent as Jaden and Hassleberry worked the boy and mouse from the kayak and onto the beach. They laid both gently to the beach before trying to wonder if they're even alive.

"Syrus, take care of the mouse," Jesse ordered. Syrus, the sky blue-haired, nodded before he turned the mouse to the side as Jesse began pumping the boy's chest. Syrus massaged the mouse's back. Suddenly, the mouse coughed water.

"There you go," Syrus cheered. Just then, the boy spitted water from his mouth. Both began to breathe, though the boy's breath remained shallow.

"Okay, he's getting some air," Hassleberry noted. "Jaden, let's bring them to the infirmary."

"Good idea," Jaden agreed. "Miss Fontaine can take care of him. I got his legs." As Hassleberry hoisted the boy's upper body, the mouse came to. Jaden picked the boy's legs and both carried him inland. The mouse sat up while Jesse monitored the carry.

"Take it easy!" warned Syrus about the mouse. "We just pulled you from the ocean." The mouse looked up to Syrus. It looked out to the ocean and the jet-ski. It became alert.

("Where did Ash go?") it squeaked. Syrus gulped, unsure what it squeaked. All he heard was "Pika Pi, Pikachu" from the mouse.

"We saw you with that boy and that jet-ski." The mouse jumped up and looked around for this Ash. "Listen, my friends took the boy up to the Duel Academy's Infirmary. If we hurry, the nurse can check you out." The mouse nodded before Syrus picked it up and followed the rest. As the makeshift gurney reached the front doors, a raven-haired young man in all black opened the door and found Jaden.

"It's about time you showed up," he snapped. "Are you ready-"

"Not now, Chazz!" yelled Jaden as they passed him with the victim. Syrus finally came by with the mouse.

"Excuse me, Chazz!" he shouted. Chazz looked on, pretty puzzled with the turnout.

"What's going on?" he questioned. "First, it's Banner's cat and now this." Out of the blue, three tiny human-like creatures emerged, though transparent like Winged Kuriboh and Ruby. Each of three had a different skin colors of yellow, green and black with different faces, they shared one thing in common: red speedos with white polka dots.

"We're not too sure but it may not be in our best interest," the yellow one studied. Its eyes protruded out of its head.

"Let's just wait until Jaden is ready to duel us," the black one urged. He had the largest nose to have for a face. They vanished just as sudden, including a green cyclops. Chazz still felt their presence.

"Probably a good idea, Ojamas," he muttered as an auburn-haired teen girl emerged. She wore a white uniform with a blue shoulder scarf and blue skirt.

"What's a good idea?" she asked. Chazz spun to see the auburn-haired girl.

"Jasmine!" He took a breath before refacing her. "For a second, I thought it was Alexis."

"Yeah, well fat chance on getting her, Spazz! Anyway, what's with all the excitement?"

"That Slifer slacker, Jaden Yuki, and his gang brought some body in from the ocean." Jasmine grew interested with Jaden's finding. "It's none of my business. I'm outta here!" Chazz walked away while another girl in the same outfit as Jasmine's arrived. She had round black hair but stood the same height.

"Jasmine, what's going on?" she asked.

"Jaden and Syrus brought someone new in the infirmary," Jasmine reported. "Wanna go check it out, Mindy?" The black-haired girl, Mindy, nodded and both dashed to this infirmary. Inside a room with a sign that read "INFIRMARY," a brunette young adult woman in a white vest and blue linens over a pink blouse used a stethoscope to monitor the boy sans vest and hat as Jaden, Jesse, Syrus and the mouse watch on in concern.

"Miss Fontaine, will he be okay?" wondered Jesse. The mouse felt helpless to the boy's situation.

("Come on, Ash!") it squeaked. ("Get up, already!") Fontaine removed the plugs from her ears.

"Well, he'll be fine," she surveyed. "He's still in some pain. There's a bruise on his back, whether from the jet-ski you found or some other act of violence." Fontaine reached to Ash's hair, petting the boy. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep him in the Infirmary overnight. I may want to play a mother to him." The boys nervously giggled to Fontaine's presumed joke. Winged Kuriboh appeared again which the mouse caught a glimpse of. It and Winged Kuriboh saw eye-to-eye and Jaden also noticed.

"You can see my bro, little guy?" he questioned. The mouse bobbed a nod to the wonder. This interested Jesse, sighting a possible connection.

"You don't suppose that if this mouse can see your deck spirit, that boy can as well?" he guessed.

"It's possible." As Jaden and Jesse converse, Jasmine and Mindy looked through the window of the Infirmary Room and the mouse. The girls cooed at the sight of the mouse.

"What a cutie!" squealed Jasmine, alerting the mouse and Winged Kuriboh to turn to the window which the girls waive to it.

"Hi there!" cheered Mindy. The mouse blinked at who these girls were. Hassleberry realized the attention and exited the door to confront the two.

"Can I help you, Obelisk girls?" he urged.

"Oh, uh, Hassleberry!" stuttered Mindy.

"We, uh, heard that you and Jaden brought someone new here," Jasmine explained. "We're wondering if we can see him?" Hassleberry stood by Fontaine's word about the need.

"I'm afraid I must deny access to see him," he refused. "Fontaine's orders." The girls mulled at the denial. Then the mouse came to mind.

"What about the mouse?" asked Mindy. "Can't we-"

"Nope! Fontaine needs to monitor that mouse as well." Neither girl wanted to accept defeat so quickly. Hassleberry felt guilty for turning the girls down so fast. "Hey, when he wakes up, you can ask about it." Hope. The girls smiled on what sounded like a promise from the big man in yellow.

"Okay," Mindy accepted.

"Just one question," Jasmine quipped. "That mouse… Is it a promotion for a new line of Duel Monster cards?" Hassleberry blinked at the thought Ash's mouse may be a sponsor for a toy.

"It's a little early for speculation," he murmured. "Now, run along and maybe you'll meet him soon." Going on that promise, the girls nodded before leaving. Even Hassleberry looked exhausted. "Girls… they can wear on a man's mind quickly." Hassleberry returned to the room as mystery about the boy grew.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Sheep-ish Welcome

_Chapter 2: Sheep-ish Welcome_

* * *

The sight of a new person had brought gossip among the girls within the academy. "A boy and a weird mouse washed up?" a girl gasped.

"That's what Jasmine told me," another girl clarified. "She and Mindy ran to the infirmary to see for themselves."

"Jasmine said the mouse had a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt," one more pointed out.

"Really?" the first gawked. "Is it a mascot for a new set of Duel Monsters?"

"If it is, I can imagine what his deck looks like."

"And that's not all from Jasmine," the second wanted to add. "She said that Slifer Red slacker helped bring him into the academy." The third girl pictured how Jaden managed to aid the boy and the mouse.

"Not much of a slacker if he brought that boy and mouse to the infirmary on his own. Did Jasmine see what the boy looked like?"

"Nope, that big guy, Hassleberry denied access," the first doubted. Back in the infirmary, the boys, Fontaine and the mouse waited anxiously for Ash to come around.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

 _What brought Ash and that little mouse to the island? Ash and the mouse were joined by three others, one not a human. A spiky tanned brunette young man in a green/orange jacket flanked his right. A blue-haired girl in a white beanie hat, pink scarf, a black dress attaching a pink skirt and pink boots guarded his right while holding a blue penguin chick. As they walked pass a pier, they noticed a set of jet-skis under a sign that read "OCEAN WATCH – Permission at Dock Office." Ash looked excited at this opportunity. "We can board jet-skis to see all sorts of Water-Type Pokémon," Ash urged._

" _So it says," the brunette believed. "But I believe there are some restrictions like not making contact with them." To Ash, the brunette didn't want these Pokémon to get hurt._

" _So we're just observing them, Brock?"_

" _Pretty much." The drawback didn't bother the blue-haired, thinking a simple sightseeing break wouldn't hurt._

" _Not everyday we should go and hunt Pokémon," she pointed out. "Why not take this opportunity to see these Water-Type Pokémon?" Ash saw no point in arguing with the blue-haired._

" _Okay, Dawn." After renting the jet-skis, the three sped out to the ocean to see these Pokémon. "The wind in your face… the smell of the ocean in your nose… Doesn't it feel good, Pikachu?" The mouse squeaked happily to the feeling. Ash spotted some manta rays nearby and slowed down. Brock and Dawn also saw the manta rays._

" _Check it out, Piplup!" she chuckled. "Mantine and Mantyke!" The large manta rays in deep blue were the Mantine. The small, lighter blue manta rays. were Mantyke. As if acting for entertainment, the school of Mantine and Mantyke leaped from beneath the ocean and flew over the three as a fast approaching storm began to fly over them as well. After a few jumps, two of the Mantyke looked up and saw the storm clouds. They dove for safety. Brock saw the clouds as well, the weather not looking promising._

" _Looks like a huge storm's coming," he warned. "We better get back to shore and find shelter."_

" _Good idea. Let's go, Ash."_

" _Okay," Ash nodded. Brock and Dawn turned their jet-skis on before turning around. Ash tried to start his jet-ski, but the engine didn't start. He tried again and again. Nothing. Dawn saw Ash struggling to get his vehicle started as lightning cracked the darkened sky._

" _Ash, come on!" Try as he could, the jet-ski just wouldn't function._

" _I can't! My jet-ski! I can't get it work!" Dawn began turning around, hoping to get Ash on her jet-ski when massive winds kick up. To Brock, time wasn't on their side._

" _Ash, Dawn, hurry!" he yelled out. Ash held Pikachu to keep from blowing away. As Dawn closed in, the swirling winds began churning up water. Brock had to warn the two about the current situation. "A water spout! Ash, get outta there!" Waves blocked Dawn from reaching Ash as he continued in vain to start the jet-ski._

" _I can't!" He ran out of time. He, Pikachu and the jet-ski lifted into the air, the ferocious winds spinning the two with a veil of water blocking view. "Whoa!" Blown off his stalled ride, all Ash could do was hang on to Pikachu and for dear life. As he curled, a freak downwind punched Ash to the water's surface, fumbling Pikachu. They hit the water with bone-trembling thuds. Both became unconscious, and their jet-ski joined._

* * *

Ash groaned in the infirmary after Jaden and Jesse pulled him and Pikachu from the water. He stirred, though he was in significant pain. Winged Kuriboh and Ruby floated above him in serious concern, and he saw both. "Is that… a… Shiny Espeon?" he misidentified Ruby. "And what the heck are you?" Jaden and Jesse were taken aback by Ash's discovery. Ruby and Winged Kuriboh weren't sure how to react to Ash's guess.

"Wait, so he can see our deck spirits?" blinked Jesse.

"And what the heck's an Espeon?" asked Jaden. Fontaine saw Ash after hearing a new voice.

"One thing's for sure: let's not tell him about it. Make him think that he's seeing stars." Jaden nodded as Fontaine helped Ash sit up.

("It's about time you came around,") Pikachu squeaked. Ash turned to his Pokémon that leaped from the desk to the bed.

"Pikachu!" he greeted. "Looks like you're doing okay." Deciding now, Jaden and Jesse came forward.

"Jesse and I've been kinda worried that you wouldn't get up," Jaden spoke. Ash looked up at the two, curious as to who they were.

"We saw you pop up with the jet-ski and…" Jesse fumbled at finishing the explanation. He didn't know how to explain the mouse.

"You mean Pikachu, right?" tried Ash as he noticed that he didn't have his vest on. "Check my vest. My Dex should be in there." Fontaine snapped her fingers before grabbing a red hand-held device lying on her desk.

"You mean this?" she asked. Pikachu squeaked to confirm. Opening, she found the device to have two screens once unfolded. "Nifty..." She pointed the device to Ash's creature. Pikachu appeared on the top screen.

"Pikachu, the Electric Mouse Pokémon," it registered with a woman's voice. "Pikachu gathers air and converts it into electricity using the sacs in its cheeks, which it can emit when squeezed. If a tribe of Pikachu attack, their power would be equivalent to a thunderstorm." Everyone gawked at the power this Pikachu could give out. Jaden seemed bummed at the species labeled.

"So much for my thought of a new Duel Monster," Jaden sighed while itching his head. "Still, it's pretty cool to know of something like that existing." Jesse mulled to Jaden's short-minded focus.

"Jaden, life doesn't always revolve around Duel Monsters," he groaned. "Though… I'll bite on what Pikachu is."

"That makes three of us," Fontaine joined. "Anyway… Oh..." Fontaine pressed a button on the Dex which now had Ash's picture on it.

"I am Dextet, the PokéDex registered for Pokémon Trainer, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," it computed. "I provide identities of Pokémon enlisted in my encyclopedia. If I am lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced." This helped with knowing who Ash was.

"That actually helps." That's when Fontaine offered a little giggle. "I now wish I had a family and Ash as my son." She stood before leaning in and giving Ash a little kiss to his forehead. Jaden, Jesse and Pikachu jumped in surprise to that moment.

"Whoa, Miss Fontaine!" yelped Jaden. Ash blushed rather heavily from the peck.

"What? Can't I dream?" To Jesse, that "dream" didn't sit with him.

"The last thing we want you to be is a pedophile," he warned. Ash recovered with a laugh.

"It's okay… uh..." he tried to talk but realized that he didn't know who the boys were.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves. I'm Jesse Andersen and he's Jaden Yuki."

"Yo!" was Jaden's response. "Can't wait to show you to Sy and Hassleberry when you're well enough." That's when Ash remembered seeing Ruby and Winged Kuriboh.

"By the way, what was up with that winged fuzzball and that Espeon that I saw?" The two boys didn't want to reveal the reason, quickly coming up with a fib that may stall their truth.

"Like we said… It may have been when whatever happened to you that brought you to Duel Academy." Ash believed that he came alone but had to make sure.

"What about others? Did Brock or Dawn also come?"

"Sorry, but all we saw were you two." Ash had to face reality. Then a knock at the door.

"Miss Fontaine?" a voice of a big man echoed. "Is the patient awake?" Jaden, Jesse and Fontaine realized the voice.

"He is, Chancellor!" she replied. Opening the door was a big and bald man with a nice goatee and wearing a red outfit. Ash gulped at the man now facing him.

"So you're the one who washed ashore. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Chancellor Sheppard. I run Duel Academy." The Chancellor offered a hand to shake.

"Ash Ketchum, sir," Ash replied as he accepted the handshake. Sheppard felt willing to give Ash a tour of the academy.

"Ash, I know it's sudden… After all, you still look a little pale from what happened to you... but I would like to show you around the Duel Academy." Ash shook off the notion that he couldn't move, more of a need to move.

"I think some moving around could get some color back in me." Sheppard chuckled to Ash on his willing to recover. With Fontaine's help, Ash got in his shoes and stood upright before Jesse had one more request.

"Do you have anything else besides Pikachu?" he asked. Being grateful for rescuing them, Ash saw Pikachu with a belt with five red/white marbles. Ash held three fingers and Pikachu nodded, pressing the button on the middle marble which opened and out came a light. From that light, a small orange monkey with a flame as a tail emerged. Fontaine rushed over and picked the new creature.

"Aren't you so adorable!" she cooed. The monkey blinked to the new girl.

"It's okay, Chimchar," Ash tried to ease. "We're just in a new world."

("Really?") hooted the monkey.

"Wanna join in the tour?" Pikachu squeaked in wanting Chimchar to tag along which the monkey hooted to agree. With Pikachu and Chimchar on Ash's shoulders, they left the infirmary. As they toured the academy, Sheppard began to explain what the academy contained.

"Duel Academy was constructed by Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp.," he began. "This allowed newcomers to the game and duelists to sharpen their skills."

"After all, not everyone will catch on to the game like the King of Games himself, Yugi Muto," Jaden added. The first stop was a kiosk which there were packs of cards painting the wall. Behind the desk was a middle-aged woman in glasses with dark brunette hair, wearing an overall skirt over a pink shirt.

"Chancellor Sheppard," she called. "What brings you out of your office?" Sheppard turned to the woman with a gentle smile.

"Dorothy, looking lovely as ever," he complimented before turning to Ash. "I want to welcome Ash Ketchum to Duel Academy. He's been misplaced so he'll be with us until his friends retrieve him. He has two creatures, Pikachu and Chimchar on his shoulders." Dorothy greeted Ash with a handshake, as well as pets to his Pokémon.

"So cute of these two..." Pikachu and Chimchar softly giggled to the compliment. "Well, since you'll be here, allow me to give you a deck. I'm sure Jaden can give you the rules, now won't you?" Jaden flicked a thumb up to the promise.

"I'll make sure he gets his game on," he insisted. Dorothy handed Ash a large pack of cards.

"Good luck in Duel Academy, Ash." The trainer nodded before Sheppard continued the march. Next stop had a classroom of elevated levels per row.

"This is the classroom where you can learn different methods in duels like card combinations and special effects," he explained. Ash looked intrigued to learn from this.

"Now that I think about it, I could use this and adapt it to my Pokémon training when I get back to Brock and Dawn," he theorized.

"That's the spirit. Find a way to work with one and use it when you return." Jasmine, turned away by Hassleberry before, found the group on tour. Excited, she ran to meet them, more importantly, Pikachu.

"There you are again, cutie!" she called. The group turned to see Jasmine, Pikachu realizing her as one of the two girls who waived at him in the infirmary.

("Do you mean me?") he asked. Jasmine ignored the language barrier, reaching out to pet the mouse. The stroking massage behind an ear tickled Pikachu who let out a laugh.

"Were you and Mindy checking in on us, Jasmine?" questioned Jaden. Jasmine painted a gleeful smile to Jaden, trying to play innocent.

"Well, Spazz still has that scorn every time you're brought up, Jaden," she started. "We wondered what you fished out of the ocean, though I gotta say this guy's not too shabby." Ash nervously laughed to her praise.

"Jasmine, this is Ash," Sheppard introduced. "He'll be joining us for a while." Jasmine awed the news of Ash staying around.

"Is that so? Well, more time for me and Mindy to get acquainted with these two. I'll see you later!" Jasmine scurried off and allowed the group to continue the tour. Now they entered a dome which different youngsters in three different colored jackets used various monsters on each other. Chancellor led the group onto the stairs.

"This is our gym. Here, the students test what they've learned from classes against each other or any of our staff in duels." As he studied himself and viewing the many creatures, Ash couldn't help but notice the three colors that stood out.

"Does this academy have only three types of uniforms?" he asked.

"More or less. The colored uniform is your rank, based on the Egyptian God cards. Reds are the low-rank, though they do honor Slifer, the Sky Dragon. Yellows are advanced, honoring the Winged Dragon of Ra. Blues are the highest ranked, and they honor Obelisk the Tormentor." Ash and the Pokémon awed the gods.

"That's pretty cool..." Chazz looked up at the stands overlooking the gym floor, finding his opponent.

"Hey, Jaden!" he called up. Everyone turned to the young man in the black trench coat. "I hope your little fiasco's done! This duel can't wait any longer!" Jaden sighed at the impatient Chazz and his desire to take him on.

"Chazz Princeton," he labeled before stepping up. "Don't think you're the only one who's anxious! Get your game on!" He applied the duel disk before hurdling over the railing and onto the gym floor. This further irritated Chazz.

"I know you can't wait but there's a pathway called stairs! I don't believe you forgot about it."

"Hey, all the quicker to flatten your Ojamas." Both Jaden and Chazz set themselves up with decks inserted, 4000 lighting up on their devices.

"Not quite the same between me and Paul," Ash compared before turning to Sheppard. "Chancellor, can I stay and watch some of these battle- I mean, duels?" Sheppard chuckled to the request.

"Certainly." Sheppard excused himself to let Ash get a feel for this. Ash, Pikachu and Chimchar watched monsters blow up from attacks and the scores on the Duel Disks shrink.

"Duel Monster duels and Pokémon battle have a lot in common." His Pokémon agreed. Someone saw Ash's reaction to the duels playing out, a scoff from the side had the three turn to a blond teen girl in white with blue linens and a blue skirt to match her boots.

"Kind of the reaction I expected from watching Duel Monsters for the first time," she teased before walking to see the three. Her eyes glanced to Pikachu which took her interest greatly. "Hey, there! You're rather the adorable type." Pikachu hopped to see the blond and she scratched behind his ears, much to his pleasure. "You like? I would have to ask him but I want to cuddle with you for a night or two." Pikachu squeaked joyously to the offer, one Ash could tell.

"Sounds like Pikachu wouldn't mind himself." The blond blinked to the name given out.

"Pikachu, huh? Sounds just as cute." She offered a hand to shake. "Anyway, I'm Alexis Rhodes." Ash welcomed the gesture, shaking Alexis' hand.

"Ash Ketchum." Chazz saw the exchange from the floor, growling at the gesture.

"That kid better stay away from her," he mulled. The sound of an explosion had all turn to a duel that had ended between a Ra Yellow student and a tall blond man in blue with purple lips. The student's score had zero. Alexis saw the end, knowing the winner.

"Crowler's got another student," she named.

"That rather old hag?" guessed Ash. Crowler jumped and jerked his head to Ash as Alexis slowly retreated.

"Old… Hag?!" he snarled, his volume increasing. Ash blinked in some stunned fashion.

"Wait, you're a guy? Then what's up with the lipstick?" Crowler wanted no more lip from Ash, angrily pointing to the trainer.

"That does it! You will report to Slifer Red on the double!" Ash rose an eyebrow from the quick judgment from who he believed was female. Students stood aghast at the ruling.

"That kid didn't even draw one card and already he's been shipped to our dorm," Chazz gulped.

"Usually, you'd need to humiliate Crowler before he sends you down," Jaden scoffed.

"You're one to talk!" Ash sneered at Crowler's decision with no regard of the consequence inflicted.

"Well, this will be a fun time," Alexis murmured. Pikachu groaned to how Ash was treated by the blond man. If Ash can survive Duel Academy, he'll need all the friends he can get.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Slifer of Hand

_Chapter 3: Slifer of Hands_

* * *

Buzz rang through the academy about Crowler's dismissal to Ash and sent him to Slifer Red. "So that boy who came to the island from that storm earlier today?" a male student brought up. "Well, get this… Crowler sent that boy and the mouse to Slifer Red. Word is, that boy called Crowler a female."

"What, really?" another young man gawked. "What was he thinking?"

"Can you blame him for that mistake in gender identity? Those purple lips must have had him get the wrong message."

"Well, coming out, I would've done the same thing if I said anything about him on first impression," a third young man admitted. "Seriously, why does Crowler need lipstick? It doesn't make sense."

"Tell me about it, those lips kinda creep me out."

"Speaking of lips, a couple of Obelisk girls tried to sneak a peek at the new kid when he first arrived, only to be defied by the dinosaur duelist," the second young man added. "Seems the new kid's got an immediate fanbase despite not having a Duel Monster card, let alone have a duel."

"Lucky him," the third young man hissed. "Well, if anything, there's Jaden who can train him in Duel Monsters, which is funny since I heard from Jesse that the kid's a trainer himself."

"What's so funny about that? You learn from each other, right?"

"Point taken," the first young man agreed. Ash and Pikachu were escorted by Jaden and Chazz to the complex where they both housed themselves in.

"I still say that was rather gutsy to call Crowler a girl, new kid," Chazz snickered.

"I'll say," Jaden laughed. "I've never seen Crowler so embarrassed by that. I mean, sure, I give him a dose of humiliation from time to time, but never seen him so red..." Ash, clutching his head from the mistake, felt the shame of the encounter.

"I get it, you two," he mulled. "It was an honest mistake. How was I suppose to know that Crowler was a guy?!" Pikachu felt just as bad as Ash in the embarrassment, even though he was being held by Alexis. They soon found the complex with the red roof.

"Well, this is it: the Slifer Red Dorm." As they arrived, Jaden used a key to open a room. Inside were bunk beds, a desk, a miniature fridge, a coffee-maker and an alarm clock. "And this is your room." Viewing the beds, Ash believed he wouldn't be alone.

"Will I have some company?"

"Not with me, you won't," Chazz snarled before walking down the steps.

"Chazz will take _some_ time to warm up to you," Jaden advised. "Anyway, I'm gonna gather my friends to see your Pokémon. I'm sure we want to see what you have." Ash couldn't wait to see who else came around.

"I'll make sure my Pokémon are ready," he promised. As Jaden flopped a nod, Pikachu screeched. His tail had a large orange tabby cat biting down. Pikachu prepared to zap it, sparks radiating from his cheeks. The tabby saw the sparks and released its fangs on the poor creature. Jaden knelt to meet the cat.

"Pharaoh, that's not food." The tabby sadly mewed. Jaden picked it up as Pikachu tried to straighten the fur dislocated from the bite. "Sorry. Pharaoh belonged to Doc Banner. He's no longer here but we're keeping him as an honorary pet." Ash itched Pharaoh's head, much to his awe.

"There are Pokémon that are like cats, though one I deal with on a daily basis." Then he wondered if he could watch the cat. "Say, is it alright if Pharaoh's with me? He'll behave after Pikachu warned him."

"No problem! I'll be right back." Putting Pharaoh down, Jaden dashed off to let Ash see his deck with a written note. He unwrapped the deck's package, viewing different colors on the cards: yellow, orange, green and magenta. He organized the cards by color. Total, each of the four colors had 25 cards, 100 altogether. Next, he tiled the cards in a ten-by-ten paper carpet. He read the note given by Jaden.

"Okay, so if I read this right, I need at least 40 cards to duel. Yellow are Normal Monsters, Orange are Effect Monsters, Green are Magic and magenta are Traps that I lay face-down before using them." Looking over the cards, there were some cards he saw that appealed to him like a black dragon with vapors emitting. The card read "Pitch-Black Dragon." Ash picked it up. "Pitch-Black Dragon… A Union Monster? What's that?" Meanwhile, Pharaoh pawed another orange card, this one being an orange spike ball with a rat's head.

("That card?") asked Pikachu. Ash heard the squeaking before eying the cat's paw. He picked it up and read the name.

"Thousand Needles… It reads that if this card's Defense is higher than the Attack of the attacking monster, that card is destroyed after Damage Calculation. A nice little card to have. Thanks, Pharaoh." The tabby mewed. About 20 minutes passed when Jaden knocked on the door. Ash opened it just as he got his deck made.

"Hey, Ash!" he welcomed. "Come on out." Ash came to the door and saw Syrus, Hassleberry, Jesse and two others, both raven-haired. One was a girl in the same clothing as Jaden while the other was a young man in yellow. Ash and Pikachu came down to see these people. "I like to introduce you to my friends. The one in Obelisk Blue is Syrus Truesdale." Syrus came forward. "He treated Pikachu while some of us worked on you."

"Ah, so the mouse is Pikachu," he awed. "How are you feeling?" Pikachu squeaked happily to reply.

"Thanks for helping Pikachu out," Ash praised as they shook hands.

"Don't mention it." Next came Hassleberry.

"This is Tyranno Hassleberry," Jaden pointed to the muscle. "He'll run you like you're in the military." Hassleberry and Ash shook hands.

"Can't wait to duel with you, Private," Hassleberry huffed. Jaden turned the new young man, also wearing yellow.

"This is Bastion Misawa." Ash and Bastion shook hands.

"So you must be the bass Jaden fished out of the ocean," he teased with a British accent.

"If you're calling me a bass, what does that make Pikachu?"

"I'm not gonna tease it." Pikachu sighed in some comfort. The other raven-haired turned to Jaden with some curiosity.

"Didn't you say that this guy's got some more monsters?" she asked.

"Don't worry, Blair!" he replied. "You'll see!" Jaden now approached Ash, ready to see more Pokémon. "Okay, Ash… We're ready to see more of your monsters." The cue made Ash take a deep breath.

"Okay, I bet it's that time," he sighed. He grabbed the red/white balls and tossed them high. They opened, releasing light which formed to different creatures. Aside from Chimchar, four others emerged from the light. There was an orange weasel with a flotation ring around its neck, a grayish-brown avian with a tuff of feathers curving forward to make a weird hairstyle, a tiny green turtle with a pair of leaves protruding out of its head and a magenta scorpion with wings. "These are my Pokémon: Chimchar..."

("Hi there!") Chimchar greeted.

"Buizel..."

("Who are they?") the weasel wondered.

"Staravia..."

("New friends, Ash?") the avian beaked as the winged scorpion jumped on the tiny turtle's back, trying to hide from the new people.

"Turtwig..."

("Who's on my back?") the turtle grunted.

"And..." Ash stopped himself when the scorpion peered out to him. "It's okay, Gilgar! They won't hurt you." The scorpion jumped from Grotle's back and showed itself. Hassleberry came by Turtwig, impressed with its size.

"Turtwig, is it?" he recalled the names. "Smallest turtle I've seen. Still, mighty fine." Turtwig appreciated the gesture of the tanned man with the accent. Bastion bumped fist and paw with Buizel while Blair and Chimchar got to know each other. The students and the Pokémon enjoyed themselves with the duelist, just as Pharaoh climbed on Staravia. Jaden came forward with an idea.

"So, Ash..." he spoke up. "As one of the top duelist, I can give you a lesson in real duels. You got your Duel Disk?" To show the item, Jaden turned his Duel Disk like he did before his duel with Jesse that never happened. Ash showed the Duel Disk before slipping it on his arm. Like Jaden's, Ash's new toy unfolded to form the same shape. "Cool! And your deck? You did make sure to have at least 40 cards."

"I got 40, alright," he showed. Jaden inserted his deck which shuffled, 4000 appearing on his counter. Copying, Ash inserted his deck with the same result.

"Nice! Dorothy must have given you some wicked cards. Alright, Ash… get your game on!" The duel started.

"How about you go first so that I may understand it more?"

"Deal! First, draw out five cards from the top of your deck." Once five cards were in each hand, Jaden continued by pulling out another card. "And because I go first, I pull one more for the first part. Now I play… Elemental HERO Burstinatrix in Attack Mode!" He put the card face up on his Duel Disk. A hologram activated and revealed a woman with skin as white as a ghost and wearing a skin-tight red spandex suit and a golden helmet. "Now I place two more cards, face-down." Two cards emerged as Buizel got in front of Ash to protect him from Burstinatrix. Jaden gawked at Buizel's willingness to defend his trainer.

"Buizel, they're holograms. They can't hurt me." Buizel looked at Ash like he didn't know what to do. That's when Ash realized Jaden didn't use Burstinatrix. "Why didn't you attack me?"

"Easy. The first to start a duel doesn't attack on the first turn. Now when _you_ summon a monster, you're free to attack. Speaking of, it's your turn now." Ash nodded before he drew a card, hoping he followed the rules. He scanned through his hand which had two orange, two magenta and two green cards. "Now you can only summon a monster up to level 4. Also, you can summon one monster at a time unless there are cards that will allow you to bring more." Ash soon found a card with four stars and summoned it.

"This should work." He placed a card with a grayish-blue rat on his Duel Disk. "I summon Giant Rat in Attack Mode." A hologram of Giant Rat emerged. "Attack Burstinatrix with Hyper Fang!" Giant Rat raced in and took a huge bite on Burstinatrix, which shattered into a thousand pieces. Jaden's score fell a little from 4000 to 3800.

"Nice play! Using Giant Rat to take out Burstinatrix… you're first deal in damage. Now that you used your only monster on the field, do you have anything else like trap cards to set down?" Ash glanced at his hand to see what he could use. He made a rookie mistake.

"I'll put four cards face-down!" Four cards emerged by Ash. "And that should do it." On that cue, Jaden drew another card.

"Okay, then. Get ready for another savior… I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman!" What emerged now was a blue humanoid robot in yellow hi-tech with a handgun. "Now, Elemental HERO Sparkman! Blow away that Giant Rat!" Sparkman shot rounds of lightning which shocked the Giant Rat to shatter. Ash covered up but he couldn't keep his points from dropping. Ash's score fell from 4000 to 3800.

"Well, that bites..." Suddenly, Syrus remembered something from Ash's destroyed card.

"Ash!" he yelled. Ash turned to Syrus. "You can use Giant Rat's special effect! You can summon an Earth-Attribute monster with 1500 Attack Points or less!" Ash realized that he had a card that could would from Dorothy's handout.

"Thanks, Syrus! I use Giant Rat's effect..." That's when a card slipped from the middle of the deck. "And summon… Millennium Shield!" Suddenly, a giant red shield emerged with a gold rim and an Egyptian eye in the center. Everyone stood aghast with Ash's summon while the deck shuffled.

"Well, that's a surprise pick," Bastion awed.

"Yeah, who knew Dorothy gave Ash one heck of a card like Millennium Shield?" gulped Jesse. Jaden organized his thoughts to the choice of card.

"Well, that's a rare one!" he giggled. "Okay, then. Since I used my only monster to attack, I can't do anything else this turn. Of course, Millennium Shield has no Attack Power." His turn starting, Ash drew another card.

"I'll make it easy on you and lay one card face down in Defense Mode," he announced. One card emerged sideways. "And that's it."

"Alright." Jaden drew another card. "My go… and I'll summon Elemental HERO Avian in Attack Mode!" Card placed, the hologram of a man in green with wings emerged next to Sparkman. "You should've turned your Millennium Shield to Defense. Get ready to be schooled! Go, Sparkman! Attack the Millennium Shield!" Sparkman charged another round of lightning when Ash grinned.

"That's what you think! I activate my trap!" A card flipped upward, a magenta card with a knight holding a huge wooden/steel shield up. "Ready for Intercepting! With this, I can adjust Millennium Shield's position from Attack to Defense, face-down. Let's see Sparkman penetrate this shield!" Now Jaden grinned.

"Don't say you didn't ask for it! I activate _my_ trap!" From one of Jaden's cards emerged a magenta card that had a green circular wall which had feathers around. "Feather Wind! Since I have Avian on the field, I can negate your trap and destroy it!" Ash's trap card broke to pieces.

"Oh boy..." Ash couldn't defend the shield.

"Finish the attack, Sparkman!" Jaden's monster fired the electricity that blew Millennium Shield to pieces. Ash's score dropped significantly from 3800 to 2200. "Avian, take out that face-down!" Avian raced in fired a tornado from the palm of his hand when the tornado blew back and wiped out the user. Jaden stood in shock. "What?" His score fell from 3800 to 3000 as he saw Thousand Needles. Ash smirked at the failed attempt.

"You'll have to thank Pharaoh for Thousand Needles. If your monster's attack is weaker than my defense, not only do you take Life Point damage, the monster's gone as well." Jaden smiled at the surprise defense Ash threw up.

"Impressive! Nice use of disguising your defense and using your monster's effect. Okay, you're up!" Ash drew the next card from his deck. He looked at it, not sure if that card should be used.

"First off, I'll use a face-down." One card flipped up, showing it being green with a green jar with a sinister face. "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck." Glancing at these two cards, he smiled before turning to Syrus. "Hey, what do I do to bring a Level Five monster in progress?"

"You need to sacrifice one monster for a Level Five or Six," Syrus explained. "Two monsters for a Level Seven or higher." Ash nodded before knowing what to do.

"Okay, then… I'll sacrifice Thousand Needles and call forth… Two-Thousand Needles!" Thousand Needles prickly body grew in size. "Now, Two-Thousand Needles, attack the Sparkman!" The rodent unleashed the needles, turning Sparkman into a pin cushion. It blew up. Jaden used his arms but to no avail. His score fell again, 3000 to 2600. "That should do it for my turn. I'll take the lead in the next." Jaden never stopped smiling to Ash despite the threat.

"For your first duel, you're not bad!" he complimented as he drew his next card. "Now watch this! First, I play my Pot of Greed!" He showed Ash the same card he played on his turn, then drew two cards. "Now, first I play Oversoul!" The green card Jaden revealed was a big purple "O" with blue vapors. "This allows me to revive Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!" From below, Burstinatrix emerged. "Next I play Monster Reborn!" The new card had a white cross with a red jewel in the center. "I bring back Elemental HERO Avian!" From the same ground, Avian emerged. "And we're not done, now I play Polymerization!" The third card Jaden showed two creatures in a vortex with their bodies swirling together. Burstinatrix and Avian became forms of light. "I fuse Burstinatrix and Avian to become… Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" From the combined light as it faded was a green goblin-like man with a red dragon's head as a right arm, the dragon's tail and a white wing behind his left shoulder. "I'm still not done! I now play Heated Heart!" This green card's picture had a blue "H" surrounded by fire. "For this turn, I power-up Flame Wingman's Attack by 500 points! Now, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, scorch Two-Thousand Needles!" Flame Wingman shot a blaze of fire which burned Two-Thousand Needles to dust. Ash's hands risen to stave from the heat. His points fell from 2200 to 1600. "And since Flame Wingman destroyed Two-Thousand Needles, you take extra damage based on its Attack Power." Ash watched his score finally end from 1600 to zero. "And that's game!" Ash collapsed to a seat where his Pokémon came to make sure he wasn't hurt. Jaden and Jesse joined in and helped Ash to his feet.

"You okay?" asked Jesse. Ash sighed in disappointment.

"I lost..." he admitted. Then he looked up with a smile. "But I had a lot of fun." The Pokémon sighed in relief to Ash's well-being.

"I know, right?!" cheered Jaden. "By the way, what were those cards you had, face-down?" Ash removed the cards from the slots and showed them. One was a trap card where a red dragon had a mount of a black knight with spikes. The other was a magic card with a man in blue on one knee and holding a sword and shield. "The Reliable Guardian and Formation Union." The name of the trap card had the boys wonder why Ash had a card like that.

"You have a Union monster, private?" asked Hassleberry. Ash dug through his deck when he found the card and handed it to Syrus.

"Pitch-Black Dragon?" he read the name. "Does this mean you have Dark Blade?" Ash dug a little more and pulled out a yellow card which had a black knight wielding scimitars.

"A card combination like this could prove useful," Bastion praised as Syrus handed back Pitch-Black Dragon. Chazz came back to the dorm.

"So, you did your duel?" he asked.

"Yep and Jaden won, as usual."

"Though Ash looks ready to go for more," Syrus pointed out. The news forced Chazz's hand to his head in some anguish.

"Great..." he mulled. "Just what the Academy needs, another Jaden Yuki!" While he didn't appreciate Ash staying while he waited for his chance to go back home, he had no choice but to bear the brunt of a mistaken identity. That night, Ash recalled his Pokémon except for Pikachu.

"Looks like tomorrow, we start some schooling," he huffed. Ash lied on the bottom bunk while Pikachu preferred the desk with a blanket.

("Worried a little?") he squeaked.

"Nervous. After all, it'll be the first time since Roxanne's Gym in Rustboro City."

("That long… Well, good night, Ash!") Pikachu curled himself and fell asleep.

"Night, Pikachu." Soon enough, Ash closed his eyes and began to snooze as well. The Duel Academy will provide excitement… more than he may desire.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Schooled!

_Chapter 4: Schooled!_

* * *

The new morning risen. Ash and Pikachu slept as the rays of the sun soaked their faces in the dorm they've been assigned to by Crowler. Chazz entered Ash's newly acquired dorm and view the trainer and his Pokémon sawing logs. "New kid!" he shouted. Ash didn't respond. Chazz quickly got frustrated and kicked Ash, only to nail Pikachu as well. Pikachu let out a blast of electricity, shocking bot Ash and Chazz. When Pikachu stopped, Ash stirred while stunned but Chazz collapsed. The Ojamas emerged and saw their duelist with sparks emanating from him.

"Well, that was shocking to say the least," the green Ojama gulped. Ash got up and looked at the Ojamas and Chazz as he slowly recovered.

"Sh-Shut up!" Pikachu squeaked to apologize for that discharge.

"What was all that about?" questioned Ash. Once Chazz got to his feet, he had an order to follow.

"I didn't want to do this- mainly due to how close you were to Alexis- but I came to get you for school so that you're not late. Get dressed. Your first day of Duel Academy starts." On that word, Chazz left to let Ash dress. In a few minutes, Ash stepped out, now sporting Slifer Red himself. He put his cap in a closet and joined Chazz with Pikachu on his shoulder. Chazz mulled at the mouse when he provoked the response. "You had to bring that rodent along?" Pikachu yelled at Chazz, insulted with the 'rodent' mock.

"Hey, he's waiting for an apology after you kicked him and shocked both of us." Out of nowhere, the Ojamas reemerged.

"He's got a point," the yellow Ojama agreed. "That was a little rough." Ash saw the trio of weird creatures as Chazz tried to shoo them away.

"No one asked for your opinion," he scowled. Ash remembered in the Infirmary the two creatures that appeared before Jaden and Jesse showed up.

"Does everyone have those hanging around?" he asked. Chazz jumped at the discovery with Ash being able to see the Ojamas.

"Wait… you mean you can see my Deck Spirits?!" Ash blinked at the name.

"Deck… Spirits?" The discovery made Chazz clutch his head.

"Just what I _really_ need," he whispered to himself. "If there are anymore Jadens that enroll here, I'm gonna lose my mind!" Ash wondered if Chazz was in any condition to study.

"You alright, Chazz?" Hearing Ash's concern, Chazz shook his head in denial.

"Don't worry about me. Let's hurry." He proceeded on as the green Ojama hanged around Ash.

"So I take it you saw Jaden's Winged Kuriboh and Jesse's Ruby Carbuncle too?" it questioned. Ash blinked at the names the green spirit asked.

"Winged Kuriboh and..." he started to repeat until he remembered seeing the red jewel on the cat when he woke from the waterspout. "That thing I called Espeon is a Ruby Carbuncle?" The green Ojama itched its head from the name.

"There's a creature such as that back where you're from?" Ash didn't want to stay around if school's about to start.

"We'll talk later. I don't wanna be late for my first day." On that note, the green Ojama vanished and Ash sprinted to the Academy building. On a wall was a poster with a koala bear and a green kangaroo with boxing gloves. On it talked about "Spirit Day Coming Soon." Entering, he took a few deep breaths. "I think we made it." Pikachu didn't hear anything to signal the start of any event.

("I think so, too!") he squeaked. After getting some air back from that dash, the two started heading to the classroom that Chancellor Sheppard pointed to. Before he could enter…

"There you are!" shouted Jasmine. Ash and Pikachu spun to see Jasmine and Mindy come around and welcoming them.

"So you must be the Pikachu that Jasmine told me about!" awed Mindy as she petted the Pokémon's ear. "I would so want to keep you in my arms! I wouldn't want to let you go for the rest of my life!" Pikachu happily squeaked in response to Mindy's coo.

"So you're Slifer Red, I see. That sucks. I was hoping for you to be with us in Obelisk Blue. You'd fit in better than Spazz." More of the Duel Academy students in their colored jackets began to enter for learning. Sheppard saw the students, including Jaden and Syrus telling the girls about his Pokémon.

"Okay, students!" he called. "Class is about to start! And Jasmine, Mindy… I'm gonna have Ash sit where you won't be distracted. Consider it school ethic." The girls moaned about Sheppard's denial. Everyone entered the classroom and Ash found himself a seat among the third lowest row. Pikachu perched himself on the desk as Ash adjusted his seat to the seat pointed out by the teacher who pointed to where he'll be. As he sat, he found Jaden just a row above him. Ash had his first duel with an elite like Jaden and lost.

"How's it going?" he asked. "First time in a school?"

"Not really," Ash replied. "I was in a school in Rustboro City sometime ago. I guess you could say this is the third school I've been in, first that I'm actually learning from."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. Don't worry too much about it." Ash nodded to the word. Suddenly…

"So we meet again… Mister Ketchum..." teased Alexis in a bogus Russian accent. Ash looked to Alexis with the grin.

"Miss Rhodes!" he identified. Alexis sat next to Ash and Chazz, sitting a few rows up, steamed at the sight of the two together. Alexis petted Pikachu to make him at ease.

"No… fair!" he growled. Before long, the bells rang for the start of the day.

"Good day, class!" a man with wavy raven-black hair in a blue uniform and round glasses greeted. "Today, we'll discuss traits between Fusion and Union Monsters." During the session, he activated the giant screen which four orange cards emerged. One was a nun in a black robe and head dress. It had an Attack of 850 according to the card and 2000 in Defense. One was a black winged, midnight-blue skinned woman wearing a pink gown and sandals. That card read 1700 for Attack and 1200 in Defense. One was a blue helicopter with eyes. The Attack and Defense both read 1000 each. The last was a futuristic space carrier. The Attack and Defense had just 500 each. "Here we have The Forgiving Maiden, Heavy Mech Support Platform, Gyroid and Marie, the Fallen One." He turned to Ash for his quiz question. "Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes, Mister Stein?" he replied.

"Can you tell the class which two form in a Fusion and which two form in a Union?" Ash studied the four cards hard before nodded.

"I think I can. Gyroid and Heavy Mech Support Platform are Union. Marie, the Fallen One and The Forgiving Maiden are the Fusion." Stein huffed a chuckle to the answer.

"Very good, Ketchum! Yes, The Forgiving Maiden and Marie are the Fusion Monsters that form to create Saint Joan. The same can't be said about the Heavy Mech Support Platform and Gyroid as they Unionize. However, there is a benefit to Union Monsters that Fusions don't. Ketchum… Yes, you're still being called upon… What is this advantage that Union Monsters have?" Ash thought about the question, nearly forgetting about Pitch-Black Dragon that's in his deck.

"Right! The Union Monster is destroyed in place of the monster it's paired with!"

"Correct! Your first class with us and you've started to catch on. Is Miss Rhodes helping you out?" The girls attending class looked down at Ash and Alexis, some cooing about a possible relationship. Some of the girls waived at Ash in a flirting matter, winks aplenty and one more blowing a kiss. Ash blushed at the girls and their gestures. Alexis palmed her face in embarrassment and Pikachu mulling. After class, Ash hung around his desk in the empty classroom and looked through the notes in class and his deck. Pikachu examined a Magic Card, one with a black metal pot over a fire with food flung in the air.

"I wish I had a chance to ask about Union Monsters if they can be Fusions. Guess I got caught in so much of his teaching that I forgot to ask." Crowler stepped behind Ash to view what he learned.

"Enjoying the new lifestyle, boy?" he taunted. The sound had Ash smirk in knowing Crowler stood nearby. He didn't need to turn around.

"Purple Lips," he sneered. "Nice to see you too." Crowler growled at the sarcastic greeting.

"I have a name, you know!"

"It still doesn't help me much. The purple lips, the earrings, the attempted manly voice, that haircut..." Crowler steamed more for each mention about his appearance.

"I should wring your neck for your insults! I swear, I'm talking to a relative of that Slifer Slacker, and it doesn't help that you're in the same dorm as him." Ash knew Crowler referred to Jaden from Chazz's anger this morning.

"Join that crowd. After all, Jaden's friends think of me the same way." In a sense, Crowler had to deal with Ash with perhaps a copy of the elite duelist.

"I see. So you know the uphill battle to get to Ra Yellow, let alone Obelisk Blue." Ash crossed his arms with Crowler's explanation.

"With you, it'll be impossible." Crowler's eyebrow rose from the argument.

"Excuse me?"

"You beat me in a duel, I'll still be in Slifer Red. I beat you, I'll still be in Slifer Red." To Crowler, Ash was being held under his power.

"If that's how you think, you could first address me by my name. After all, you're not Jaden Yuki." Ash nodded to the quip.

"Well, not quite like that, Sir Crowler." The new title make it sound to Crowler that there's a trust in the making. "I guess you could say that I'm Jaden Yuki in the world Pikachu and I came from." Pikachu snickered at the retort. Crowler had something else in mind.

"Perhaps you should leave your… Pikachu in the dorm as well." Instead of letting Ash reply, perhaps with snark, Crowler slicked away. "By the way, the classroom's closing in a few minutes." Ash left soon after and headed for the dorm. As he stepped out, Syrus met the two.

"Hey, Ash!" he greeted. Seeing the friend from Obelisk Blue, Ash smiled to the sky-blue duelist.

"Syrus, what's up?" he returned.

"That was a good first impression in class today. Mister Stein put some pressure on you for the first question. How did you know about which two belonged with the others?" Ash dug through his deck and pulled out his Pitch-Black Dragon to show Syrus.

"This card, actually." Syrus examined the card, awed that he had one in his deck.

"Pitch-Black Dragon! That must mean you have a Dark Blade in there as well!" With some more digging, Ash showed Dark Blade as well. "That's awesome. Hold on, someone gave me this card a little while ago but I don't want it." The card was a Magic Card Syrus showed. It was a sarcophagus in a warping rift with a blue warped clock.

"Different Dimension Capsule? Select a card from your Deck and remove the card from play, face-down. During your turn, you can destroy this card to bring the removed card to your hand."

"Sounds like a lot to take in. If you have this card, you can use it to bring either Dark Blade or Pitch-Black Dragon until you have the other card necessary."

"I see. This could be pretty useful. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. By the way… How are you able to attract girls like Alexis and Jasmine?" Ash blinked to the question. He didn't seem sure that he was the one getting the girls.

"Are you sure _I'm_ the one? How do you know it's not Pikachu?" In a sense, Ash did have a point. The first encounter focused on Pikachu. Due to his cuteness, the girls would want to pet him, maybe a few times. "Besides, just because I'm the new student, it doesn't mean I should get this celebrity status." After that exchange, Ash left for the dorm. The next morning, Jasmine and Mindy made their stroll to the Slifer Red dorm, no question on their target. When they arrived, they seemed shocked to see more of Ash's Pokémon out and about.

"Whoa, who are they?" asked Mindy.

"I think more of Ash's creatures," Jasmine guessed. Hearing their trainer's name, Chimchar and Gligar came over to meet the Obelisk Blue girls. "I was right. Is Ash inside?" Gligar pointed toward the beach as Chimchar impersonated a surfer.

"He's at the beach to hit the waves?" Chimchar nodded to Mindy's guess. She and Jasmine wondered if this was true. "Could you show us?" Willfully, Chimchar sprinted and Gligar flew to reveal the direction. At the beach… or rather on the water, Ash paddled out while bellied on a red surfboard and Pikachu on his back. All he wore were red swimming trunks. The brisk winds churned small waves that headed to the island. Once far enough from the island, Ash examined the spot in his attempt to head back inland. Oddly enough, his starting point was awfully close to the spot where his broken jet-ski, not to mention his and Pikachu's unconscious bodies, waded when Jaden and Hassleberry plucked them from.

"Around here, Hassleberry said," he remembered.

("Pretty far from the island,") Pikachu determined as he hopped from Ash's back to the nose of the board. Mindy, Jasmine and the other Pokémon got to the beach as Ash stood up, his young but muscled torso catching the awe. He stood as he caught some waves and gained momentum.

"He can surf, too?" gawked Jasmine. On one turn, Ash hit a wave and was airborne. Pikachu held on for dear life as Ash twisted before landing squarely back in. The focus he applied on the surfboard with Pikachu riding amazed the girls. He even formed a pipeline and vanished for a few seconds before reemerging. Ash took a few minutes on this run before docking on the sands. Pikachu cleared the surfboard before Ash picked it up.

"That was a good run," he surveyed. The girls came down to the beach in applauding the trainer with a solid surf.

"You're a trainer, a duelist and a surfer? That's awesome!" Ash and Pikachu darted their heads to the girls that stepped on the sands.

"It's nothing really. I've been boarding for sometime before I became a Pokémon Trainer, let alone a duelist." This further intrigued the girls which Mindy couldn't help but admire the midsection.

"You mean more than a surfboard? Like, a snowboard or a skateboard, too?"

"You bet!" That's when he noticed his other Pokémon joining, also impressed with his boarding ability. "I see that you've met Chimchar and Gligar. I hope they weren't distracting you."

"Nah!" smiled Mindy. "They helped out. Anyway, I'm digging your torso. I see that you workout a lot."

"Yeah, thanks!" Jasmine also appreciated Ash's torso… and a little more.

"He does deserve to be around here, less near us in the Boys' Obelisk dorm," she teased before she and Mindy pressed lips to cheeks. Ash's face became incredibly red from the double-kiss. The Pokémon gulped to the kiss, realizing Ash gained a pair of admirers. "We'll see you around, Ashy-Hon!" The two girls left the red-faced dream boy. Ash recovered, though continued to blush.

"I guess there are girls that are easy to understand." Gligar and Pikachu looked up as Chimchar climbed on his shoulder. "Why wasn't Misty and May like that with me?" None of the Pokémon had a clue to that answer. "Maybe Dawn's the same. I don't know if girls are meant to be loved or what." Without warning, someone else came to the beach.

"Ash!" shouted Blair. Ash looked up at the young girl in Slifer Red. "For someone who's still new to Duel Monsters, you seem to have knowledge to the contrary!" Ash blinked to the other raven-haired.

"What was I suppose to say? I don't know the answer?" Blair didn't trust his words.

"Well, you did. Maybe I should duel you to be certain." After the lesson from Mister Stein and Syrus, another duel sounded like a good idea to test himself.

"Alright, you got it!" Unfortunately, he didn't have the deck on him. "But first, is it possible to get my Duel Disk and deck?"

"Yeah, but can I duel you without anything on top? I'm also liking the physique you got!" Ash cringed at the request of Blair.

"I guess so..." He began to walk up the beach on his way to his dorm room. Once he's dressed… to Blair's request, he'll have his chance to get his first win.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

 _(First off, I want to send my prayers to the victims of the Orlando Nightclub shooting. Regardless of their sexuality, I view them as people much like everyone on this website. Next, I do apologize to those who wanted to see me do Pokémon and Bakugan: Battle Brawlers but because of a lack of plot and storyline, I won't be doing that crossover. There will be other stories I'll be doing. Lastly, you may have noticed a new poll in my page. Yes, there will be a sixth volume you guys enjoy so much. The rest of the poll will be made in September.)_


	5. Blair-ly Adorable

_Chapter 5: Blair-ly Adorable_

* * *

Ash got some dry clothes, his deck and Duel Disk and faced Blair for her duel. Blair offered one request which Ash felt rather embarrassed: nothing over his torso. Bare-chested to the girl, Ash geared himself with his new battle. Two of his Pokémon, Pikachu and Chimchar, watched from the sidelines. "I'm giving you this test to see if you're really worth any girl's attention!" she proclaimed.

"Well apparently, it's not worth yours aside from a duel," Ash retaliated. "I could use some more practice." Both sides inserted their decks, 4000 lighting up on their Duel Disks.

"Let's duel!" they declared as they drew the five cards.

"I'll go first!" He looked at his hand. He couldn't believe his eyes that he drew a card given to him yesterday: Different Dimension Capsule. The rest of his hand showed neither Pitch-Dark Dragon or Dark Blade. He chose to play the card off the bat but before that, he needed to draw one more card. After that, he felt ready. "I play Different Dimension Capsule, allowing me to remove one card from play and saving for later." He pulled one card and placed it in a slot above the graveyard chute, face-down. "Next, I summon Prevent Rat in Defense Mode." Ash placed the card down on its side before a rat with a jagged blue shell emerged. It had a flimsy Attack of 500 but a solid Defense of 2000. "Finally, I'll lay one more face-down and end it." Blair heard Ash call for the end of his turn before drawing a card.

"You have Giant Rat, Thousand Needles, Two-Thousand Needles _and_ Prevent Rat?" she teased. "Considering that Pikachu's a rat itself, I can see you like the vermin kind. No offense, Pikachu." The Electric Mouse Pokémon mulled at the name it was given. "But it's my turn and I summon White Magician Pikeru in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a pink-haired girl in a white robe and boots with pink symbols emerged. The braided girl wore an ivory ram's head like a hat and held a scepter with a purple orb. It had 1200 in Attack but no Defense. "But now I can play this! Sibling Rivalry!" The new card had White Magician Pikeru and a similar girl, only this other girl was blond and wore black with a black bunny hood. "Since I have White Magician Pikeru on the field, I can now summon her sister, Ebon Magician Curran!" She laid the card with the blond girl on the field. Like White Magician Pikeru, Ebon Magician Curran had 1200 Attack and no Defense. "Now, I'll lay one more card face-down and end that turn." Ash blinked, somewhat flummoxed with how Blair summoned two monsters on the same turn.

'So there are more cards that can help summon more to the field. I think the one face-down may do that trick.' He drew a card. What he pulled made his eyes glare. 'This could be useful.' He chose to use it. "I summon… Mataza the Zapper in Attack Mode!" After placing the card down, a man in green samurai armor appeared. He had an Attack of 1300 and 800 for Defense. "Mataza, attack Ebon Magician Curran!" Mataza rushed in and sliced Curran, destroying that little girl. Blair covered up but a pointless gesture as her score took a short dip, 4000 to 3900. "Here's the funny part about Mataza… his specialty is that he can attack twice in one turn. Mataza, let's take out the sister!" Mataza cleaved Pikeru to ribbons. Both of her magicians gone, Blair lost another hundred, her score going from 3900 to 3800. "That's gonna do it for this turn."

"You can so ruthless! Didn't your mom teach you not to hurt a girl?!" She drew another card from her deck.

"Back where I'm from, there are tough trainers that are girls, some of them Gym Leaders. Heck, the Champion that I'm chasing is a girl." Blair gulped at his explanation about the world he's from.

"Sorry I asked. Anyway, allow me to summon my favorite card… Maiden in Love!" Card on the Duel Disk, a little brunette girl in a yellow flowing dress with fluffed skirt and stockings and pink dress shoes showed up. Ash gawked at the new "monster" while the Pokémon seemed to admire her. Her Attack and Defense seemed pathetic compared to the monsters so far, only 400 in Attack and 300 in Defense.

"Well, I can't say I was expecting that." When he heard Pikachu squeaking and Chimchar hooting in delight, Ash slapped his head. It was Buizel all over again, only it was two Pokémon and not one. "Guys, it's a hologram!" Blair giggled at Ash's and the Pokémon's reaction.

"That's adorable! Anyway, I'm going to put one more card face-down and end it." To Ash, Blair put up a sacrificial lamb but that wouldn't be right.

"Why would she summon a… girl with weak stats?" He drew a card. Suddenly, Different Dimension Capsule broke and Ash retained the card that he withdrew for the moment. "I guess it can't be helped. I summon Pitch-Dark Dragon in Attack Mode!" When the card entered the slot, a black dragon showed up. While the stats weren't too impressive, only 900 in Attack and 600 in Defense, Ash believed it was more than enough to take the Maiden in Love down. "Next, I'll switch Prevent Rat to Attack Mode and have it issue to wipe out Maiden in Love!" Prevent Rat charged in and tackled the Maiden. Blair seemed to have anticipated this, even though it lost another 100 points, now down to 3700. However, Maiden in Love didn't vanish. Instead, she sat back up. Seeing Maiden in Love begin to whimper, Ash looked perplexed. "Wait… Shouldn't Maiden in Love be destroyed?" Prevent Rat came up to Maiden in Love, squeaking to see if she's okay.

"Don't worry about me," the Maiden in Love assured as she petted the head of Prevent Rat. A heart appeared on Prevent Rat's shell.

"Maiden in Love cannot be destroyed as a result of battle," Blair explained. "Sure, I'll take damage but Maiden in Love will continue to stay on the field. In addition, since Prevent Rat attacked her, it gets a Counter." Ash couldn't believe he battled a "creature" that couldn't go down.

"So you'll still take damage but Maiden in Love won't go?" he gulped. "Okay… Pitch-Dark Dragon! Go!" Instead of taking the advice, he advised his dragon to breathe a black fire which burned Maiden in Love. Still, she remained but Blair's score hurt more as it fell to 3200. The puppy eyes of the Maiden in Love irked Pitch-Dark Dragon to fly down and check on her. Another heart Counter appeared on the dragon's snout. Ash found it difficult to believe how much Maiden in Love could endure. Still, he had one more in attack. "How about Mataza the Zapper! Go for it!" After seeing Pikeru and Curran go down in one turn by Mataza, she had to act.

"No more! I activate Waboku!" A trap card came up which showed three young nuns in turquoise. "This nullifies any damage done to my monsters and me." Out of nowhere, the three nuns appeared and grappled Mataza to his knees. Maiden in Love stepped forward to greet her would-be assassin.

"Please forgive me, sweet Maiden," Mataza pleaded. "I was merely given an order." Maiden in Love placed a hand on the samurai armor, no hostility shown.

"I understand," she acknowledged. Two heart Counters emerged on Mataza's armor. Now instead of a commanding lead, Ash used all his maneuvers this turn. Just then, Alexis came to see the commotion.

"Hey, a duel!" she noticed. That's when she saw Ash and what he wore, or rather what he's missing. "Is there any reason why Ash is dueling shirtless? Here I was, ready to ask him for a favor." Ash conceded his turn.

"Okay, your move," he offered. Blair nodded before drawing the next card.

"I'll start by playing Snatch Steal!" she said. A green card emerged with a man taking a satchel from another. "And I'll take Mataza the Zapper from you." Mataza joined Maiden in Love on Blair's side while Prevent Rat and Pitch-Dark Dragon gulped. "Next, I play Happy Marriage! This allows me to increase the attack of a monster with a Maiden Counter that I control. My Maiden in Love's attack is now at 1700." The next green card contained two gold bells ringing from a church. Ash knew he was in trouble. "Now Mataza, cut down those who've harmed you!" Mataza obeyed, cutting down both monsters Ash still had control over. Formerly untouched, Ash's score plummeted from 4000 to 2800. "Now, Maiden in Love! Get him directly!" Maiden in Love came to Ash and slapped him across the face. Ash's score fell more, now to 1100. "And that should do it for me." Ash shook his head in wondering how his commanding lead was a thing of the past. He drew his next card… and smiled.

"It's not over. I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards. "Now I lay one card face-down in Defense Mode and one more. That should do it." No attack, Blair believed Ash setting something.

'If I know what monster he had with that move, it's gotta be Thousand Needles. He's probably willing to see if I send Maiden in Love to attack.' She drew a card from her deck and looked at it. A running red boar was shown. 'Not even Thousand Needles can anticipate survival with this.' "I activate Rush Recklessly! This gives your Mataza an additional 700 Attack points! Now, Mataza! Slay the down creature!" Mataza, having an Attack now at 2000, carved the card which turned out to be Giant Rat. Its Defense of 1450 stood no chance. "Wait, that _wasn't_ Thousand Needles?!"

"No, but it does give me the opportunity to summon Millennium Shield to the field." Millennium Shield emerged in Attack Mode but with no Attack whatsoever, it seemed like a wasted opportunity.

"Millennium Shield will not help you now. Maiden in Love, do your stuff!" Maiden in Love readied a slap for Millennium Shield but Ash saw it coming.

"Are you sure? I activate Ready for Intercepting! Millennium Shield is now in Defense Mode!" The shield switched stances and Maiden in Love slapped it. Millennium Shield's 3000 Defense proved the choice of "attack." The slap hurt her greatly, as did Blair. Her score torpedoed down to 1900. Ash felt his confidence resurfacing. Blair looked through her hand, finding no more to do. Still, she knew Ash had nothing to stop her and even if he did, there's the risk of falling into Maiden in Love's trance.

"Okay, your go." After that round, Ash couldn't wait to finish this duel. He drew the next card. That's when he knew the duel would be ending soon.

"I've been waiting to draw this card since my duel with Jaden. I summon… Dark Blade!" Placing card, the hologram produced the knight in black armor and carrying swords. He had an Attack of 1800 and Defense of 1500. A sure beast. "Next, I activate a Trap Card that I wanted to bring out… or rather Roll Out!" The trap card revealed itself as a white robot surrounded by lightning and equipped with green turret bazookas. "This allows me to bring Pitch-Dark Dragon back out and right to Dark Blade to unionize!" Pitch-Dark Dragon reemerged from below Dark Blade, free of any heart Counters. The dragon scooped Dark Blade to be ridden. Suddenly, Dark Blade's Attack score risen to 2200. "Now I'm gonna play Mystical Space Typhoon! This allows me to destroy one spell or trap card, and I feel a divorce coming." The new green card contained the eye of a tornado. "Say goodbye to Happy Marriage." A twister came out and blew Happy Marriage to the graveyard. Maiden in Love's stats returned to 400. Blair began to panic and Ash had one more card. "Finally I play Block Attack. That will change Maiden in Love to defense mode." The last card Ash had showed a knight ready to strike but had an X over. Maiden in Love knelt with her arms crossed. "Now, Dark Blade, take the Maiden! And it's because of the union that you take damage from the attack." Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon swooped in and carved Maiden in Love. Blair and Maiden in Love let out a scream as Blair's score finally emptied. To Ash, he won his first duel. "Oh yeah! I win!" Blair collapsed to her knees, forcing Ash to stop his cheer and attend to the girl. "Hey, you okay?" Blair calmed a little.

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, everything's good. You gave me a pretty good duel." Ash helped Blair on her feet.

"Sorry, I just wanted to win. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what that's like."

"Well, you won. Maybe I should give you a prize." Alexis watched on as Blair pushed up and gave Ash a kiss on the lips. It was a brief second but when done, Ash stood stun as Blair walked off. The Pokémon came forward to make sure Ash could respond. Alexis came out of the shadows to see Ash.

"First time seeing someone duel topless," she scoffed. Hearing Alexis' voice, Jaden and Chazz found Ash turning to the blond.

"I was surfing a while ago and Blair asked me to duel," he recanted. "It was her request to go without a top." Alexis giggled, humored to the reasoning.

"I can see, you do look good for someone your age." Chazz growled to seeing Alexis complimenting Ash. He feared a relation in the works. "Anyway, there was a reason I wanted to find you. Is it possible to let me have Pikachu for the night?" Ash blinked to the request. Pikachu barely hesitated and jumped on Ash's shoulder with a happy squeak. To him, Pikachu wanted to try the idea out.

"If Pikachu wants to do it, sure thing." Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder to Alexis' arms.

"Thanks! I'll see you later!" Alexis and Pikachu left to her dorm. Taking its spot, Chimchar climbed onto Ash's shoulder, questioning whether or not it was a good idea to let the blond take Pikachu to her dorm.

"What did I tell you about getting close to Alexis?" boiled Chazz. Ash and Chimchar now turned to his fellow dorm-mates who came in at the last second.

"Chazz, you need to learn not to jump to conclusions," he snorted back. "Alexis came to me, not the other way around!"

"I don't care!" Winged Kuriboh and the Ojamas emerged to help control Chazz with little success. "You need to keep your physique away from her _at all times!_ " The faces on Ash and Chimchar were of serious displeasure.

"I can see why you've been demoted to Slifer Red from her." Rather than take the hint, Chazz pushed Jaden away before racing at Ash.

"Allow me to demote you!" Instead of letting Chimchar attack, Ash fired a punch when Chazz got within reach. POW! The short right hook connected Chazz's chin. The older raven-haired lost consciousness before he fell. After hitting the dirt, the black Ojama played referee.

"One… Two… Three," he counted. "Four..." It was Ash's second victory within minutes. However, he didn't look pleased with the knockout.

"Dude, that was swift!" gawked Jaden. "I can't blame you, that was self-defense."

"Even so, I've tried to keep my hands off others," Ash mulled. "Back home, it's a crime if I did that, even if it was to defend myself." Winged Kuriboh cooed to help sympathize Ash, who saw it again. "So you're Winged Kuriboh? Sorry for calling you a fuzzball before." Winged Kuriboh cooed to forgive him.

"I believe you may be getting your own Spirit Partner pretty soon." Chimchar seemed curious to know the meaning as he hooted. "I guess I can tell you… if that's what you're asking Chimchar. They're Duel Spirits that some of us can interact with. It's sort of like you, Pikachu and Ash, but only some of us can see." Winged Kuriboh cooed to confirm Jaden's briefing. That's when Jaden pulled Winged Kuriboh's card from his deck to show Ash. The orange card of Winged Kuriboh showed slightly worse stats than Maiden in Love, an Attack of 300 and Defense of 200. However, the orange card contained a little secret about the winged fuzzball.

"If this card's destroyed while on the field, its user won't take any damage during the same turn. Talk about a brave little..." Ash stopped himself in trying not to offend Winged Kuriboh.

"I know, right?" Ash handed the card back to Jaden. "Anyway, the reason Chazz and I looked for you is because Dorothy called and wanted you." Ash wondered why Dorothy wanted him.

"Can we wait until Chazz stirs before I contact her?"

"Yeah, not a good idea leaving him without a clue. So what else did you learn besides surfing and boxing?" Ash chuckled at his hobbies being unearthed.

"Anything that kept me busy and away from my mom while making meals." The information made Jaden and Winged Kuriboh laugh. After Chazz recovered, they returned to the Slifer Red Dorm which he used the phone to call Dorothy.

"Ash, just the student I wanted to talk to," she greeted.

"What's up, Dorothy?"

"I have something for Pikachu in regards of Spirit Day."

"It's for Pikachu, huh? He's spending tonight with Alexis."

"Oh? Your Pikachu's in the Girls' Dorm?" Suddenly, another voice echoed through the receiver.

"Did you say something about the Girls' Dorm?" asked Fontaine.

"Yes. The Pikachu that came with Ash? I believe Alexis wanted to have Pikachu over in her dorm for the night."

"Oh! I'm actually on my way there for patrol."

"Perfect! Hold on. Ash, everything's good. Miss Fontaine will deliver the costume for Pikachu. Just a little something I knitted up."

"Thanks, I guess," Ash stuttered. "What is this costume?"

"You'll see it tomorrow." Ash could only guess what Pikachu will dress up as.

"Okay. I can't wait."

"Alright, Ash. Night-night!" Ash hung the phone as Syrus entered with Gligar on his shoulder.

"Did I hear you right?" he wondered. "Alexis has Pikachu?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "Alexis asked to have Pikachu and he accepted."

"Well, at least one of us has a girl for comfort." Ash shrugged, not sure how to respond.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be heading back to your dorm?" Syrus nearly lost track of time as he saw no more sun.

"Yeah… Say, I know you just enrolled here but do you have a costume for Spirit Day?" Ash shook his head. "Well, don't worry about it. You probably won't be the only one without a costume. Night!"

"Later, Syrus!" While Syrus departed for his dorm, Fontaine arrived at the girls' dorm with a package. Getting inside, Jasmine was the first to welcome their guard.

"Hi, Miss Fontaine!" she greeted.

"Hello, Jasmine," Fontaine returned. "Is Alexis in her room?" Her name called, Alexis and Pikachu came down to check on the action.

"You called for me, Miss Fontaine?" she asked. Fontaine brought out the package and handed it to the blond. Jasmine became jealous that Alexis had Pikachu, not her or Mindy.

"What gives!" she whined. Alexis sighed to Jasmine's cry.

"All you'd need to do is ask." Jasmine felt worse off. After accepting the package, Alexis and Pikachu returned to her dorm room which didn't look too different from a Slifer Red, aside from a computer and a bigger, softer bed. Alexis inspected the package by first noting the sender. "Dorothy?" Realizing it wasn't from a boy, Alexis opened the package. Inside, Alexis saw and concluded the purpose. "I suppose this is your costume for Spirit Day." Pikachu could only wonder as Alexis dug in to pull out. What costume would Pikachu wear? And would Ash have one himself?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Spirtual Acts

_Chapter 6: Spiritual Acts_

* * *

Nighttime. A ball of light flew around Duel Academy, overlooking what the island had in store. _"_ _The spirits of the kids are as strong as the last time,"_ a young woman's voice echoed. Seeing the Slifer Red dorm, the light veered toward on a room with the lights still on. Someone hadn't fallen asleep. It turned out to be Ash's dorm. _"Who's this?"_ Fascinated with the new face, the light phased through the window and observed Ash looking at a poster on his desk. It read "Spirit Day" on the top. On the poster was a man in purple robe with spiraling pointy hat and hood. By him was a blond young woman in blue with a similar pointy hat and pink linens. Both in the poster were shown above the torso so not much could portray the rest.

"Syrus said he couldn't wait to see this Dark Magician Girl again, which he pointed is her," he recalled. Pharaoh mewed to the poster. "I'll admit… she's cute." Realizing what he just said, Ash felt shameful about the words. "Of course, I should be saying the same thing to Dawn when she wears those outfits for her Pokémon Contests." Pharaoh wasn't too bothered by Ash's confession of sudden bias, pawing his arm to console. "Thanks, Pharaoh." The light continued to awe at Ash, enjoying his comment.

" _I want to see his Spirit Day costume. Tomorrow's going to be fun."_ The light bumped at a wall which dislodged a panel. The bump made Ash and Pharaoh jump. The light shook before phasing through a wall. _"I'm outta here!"_ The light vanished before Ash and Pharaoh saw it. The loose panel was the only item they saw.

"No wonder Crowler doesn't like students in Slifer Red. I bet he wants to wear the students out and-" He stopped his rant when he saw a case within the loose panel. "What's this?" Carefully, he pulled out the case. He opened the case and saw something that irked his interest. "What do we have here?" Pharaoh also wanted to know. The next morning, everyone started preparing for the festivities of Spirit Day. The light returned to see students setting the field around the main academy.

"Hey, Ash!" yelled Hassleberry. He and a few other students dragged a steel grid toward the field. Ash, waiting for Alexis to bring Pikachu, heard Hassleberry's cry and rushed to help out.

"Coming!" Their combined strength hauled the grid to the field and Hassleberry guided Ash to lay it down.

"Easy..." Grounding the grid, Bastion brought a bucket of white paint and headed to the center. Hassleberry unscrewed the lid before Bastion placed a funnel in the hole and poured the paint.

" _That new kid in red is...kinda cute,"_ she studied. _"Should I go down to meet him or wait for that big girl, Dorothy, to make her appearance?"_ She flew off as the three girls from Obelisk Blue and Pikachu reached the party.

"Hey, Ash!" called Alexis. Ash got up and saw new looks for the girls and Pikachu. He donned an orange hooded suit with wings, perfect with the ears and tail. Alexis wore a purple sleeveless leotard and black pants that stretch to her shoes. Mindy wore a turquoise/red jumpsuit and ballet slippers while wearing a transparent frilly skirt around her backside and a blue visor over her eyes. Jasmine wore a skimpy red leotard with blades on the shoulders and a fiery red pantyhose and boots while sporting a skirt that covered her back. While Ash liked their costumes, his focus was on Pikachu.

"Is that from Dorothy?" he guessed.

"Yeah, who knew Dorothy pictured Pikachu as a pretty good Baby Dragon." Pikachu tried to roar like a dragon, but it just made him sound cuter. Alexis laughed at Pikachu's attempt.

"The dorm squealed at that and tried to take him away but Alexis wasn't having it," Mindy explained.

"I don't blame you," Ash forgave. "I thought Pikachu looked like a miniature Charizard without the flame on its tail." Alexis giggled slightly, perplexed with the name Ash gave out.

"Anyway, are you gonna participate in the Spirit Day festivities?" asked Jasmine. "Sure, you've just enrolled but I bet you have a costume on hand." Instead of feeling intimidated, Ash grinned to Alexis to say that he has one ready to wear.

"It's not much but I'm sure everyone will like it."

"I can't wait," Alexis scoffed. "Hopefully, Jaden's isn't a collaboration like last time… but I wouldn't hold my breath." The light giggled to the memory.

"Knowing Jesse, he'll follow in Jaden's ideas, though I haven't seen what Duel Monsters he uses." Bastion tapped Ash on the shoulder after helping Hassleberry with the field.

"Ash, get uniformed up," he told. "We'll take care of the rest."

"You got it." Ash retreated to the Slifer Red Dorm with Pikachu staying with Bastion and Alexis, who began to wonder about that name Ash brought up.

"What the heck is a Charizard?" asked Alexis. "Another Pokémon?" Pikachu squeaked to confirm the guess.

"Jaden told me that Ash has a computerized encyclopedia of Pokémon," Bastion remembered. "I'll ask about it when he comes out in his costume." While the mystery about Ash's choice grew, another case appeared.

"So, how do you like your costume, Pikachu?" sounded Dorothy. Those who heard the voice turned to see Dorothy… and gulped. Dorothy dressed herself as Dark Magician Girl. She began to find discomfort on their faces. "Come now! You know I have this costume for years!" The information of Dorothy's consecutive years as Dark Magician Girl didn't ease the tension.

"Weren't you upstaged by another student as Dark Magician Girl the last Spirit Day?" questioned Jasmine. Dorothy had no real response to the query. Plenty of students had dressed in various Duel Monsters. Jaden wore a collection of different pieces of armor like Sparkman's mask, Avian's armor, beetle horns, white wings and a black cape. Jesse wore various animal fur with some jewels on himself including yellow wings, Ruby's tail and a tortoise shell with emeralds on the back. In his dorm room, Ash pulled blue and black face paint from the package. He donned a black hood with his hair covered while Chimchar wondered what he wanted.

"I want you to cover my face in that blue paint but not around here," he instructed as he lined around the eyes and above the bridge of the nose. Chimchar nodded before applying the paint. Outside, the Obelisk Blue girls and Pikachu came to Slifer Red Dorm and to the crowd. Blair, dressed as Maiden in Love, saw Pikachu and wanted to see his reaction.

"Is that a Baby Dragon?" she teased. Pikachu turned to Blair, gawking and awing her costume before running to Blair who picked him up. "Pikachu, you look adorable." The Electric Mouse Pokémon chimed in delight. Jaden now noticed the girls visiting.

"So, is this the Cyber Sports Trio, Alexis?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied. "I'm Cyber Gymnast, Jasmine's Cyber Blader and Mindy's Etoile Cyber."

"By the way," Mindy pondered. "What the heck are you wearing? Seems to be more than just Elemental Heroes." Jaden scoffed to her findings.

"Mindy, you know I want mine to be one of a kind!" he explained. "Sparkman's face shield, Avian's armor, Flame Scarab's horn, Air Hummingbird's wings and Dark Panther's cape." Mindy and Jasmine shuttered to think of how he came up with this design. That's when the door opened and someone came out with Chimchar. At first glance, a huge gasp.

"Sorry for taking so long," Ash apologized. He wore a black spandex suit with pink rings around the arms and legs and a crown of black and pink with a teal jewel at the center. His face was blue and wore a black eye-mask with more hair than Ash had on his head. Lastly, the black scepter with an emerald on the hook. He stabbed the scepter to the ground as the rest gawked at the outfit. "Well, what do you think?" No one could say a word to the costume. Just whispers.

"Is that what I think it is?" quietly asked Jesse.

"I think so, but I can't believe it," Jaden silently replied. Ash believed his outfit was too great for them to comprehend.

"What?" he snapped. "Too much?"

"No… but that costume..." stuttered Alexis.

"Funny thing about it. I was looking at the poster Syrus gave me when a panel in my dorm came loose and found this inside with the blue face-paint." The stunned silence had to have someone speak.

"Do you know that you're dressed at the Magician of Black Chaos?" pointed Bastion. Ash blinked at the name.

"Magician of Black Chaos?" Out of nowhere, Jasmine and Mindy squealed heavily while meeting Ash upfront.

"That is so cool!" yelled Jasmine in glee.

"Totally!" yelped Mindy who hugged Ash. Needless to say, the hug began to ruin the paint.

"Mindy, you're getting my paint on you!" he warned. Mindy removed her face from his. Feeling the paint, she removed it before reapplying it on Ash. After the fix, Jaden decided to get moving to the field.

"Alright, I think a lot of people will like your costume," he believed. "Let's get going. I wanna see Chazz's costume as well." Once Pikachu remounted on Ash's shoulder and he fixed the hood, they followed the group to the gathering where plenty of students gathered to see some duels, including Syrus and Hassleberry dressed up. "Hey, Bastion. Is Dorothy-"

"She is," Bastion cut off. Jaden shuttered in thought. As they saw other costumes, a call came out.

"Jaden, is that a new combination?" a new young woman's voice echoed. All turned to see someone in a Dark Magician Girl outfit… but it wasn't Dorothy. She looked just like the girl on the poster.

"You're back, Dark Magician Girl," he welcomed. "You came to get your game on, again?"

"You know it. I see that you have Elemental Heroes and Neo Spacians. Couldn't decide on one?" Jaden itched his head and laughed a little. Pikachu leaped down, nearly tripping over his costume and meeting up with Dark Magician Girl to see her. Seeing Pikachu, Dark Magician Girl knelt down to see the costumed critter. Her eyes widened as she instantly adored the Pokémon. "What an adorable Baby Dragon you have!" She hugged Pikachu firmly that it didn't bother the mouse, and he enjoyed the attention. Her eyes glistened at the adored Pokémon.

"I'm not sure who's getting more popular, our new student or his Pikachu?" teased Jesse.

"Last I checked, Jasmine and Mindy have given me the popularity," Ash corrected, having Dark Magician Girl look his way. She gasped, dropping Pikachu who recovered and landed on his paws and feet.

"Grand master!" she greeted as she knelt and bowed to Ash. "Forgive me! I was never aware of your presence!" Ash stood puzzled. Dark Magician Girl believed he was the real Magician of Black Chaos.

"She thinks you're her master," Blair tried to clarify. "Try to say something from getting more awkward." Ash nodded before acknowledging Dark Magician Girl.

"There is no need for an apology," he acted. Dark Magician Girl looked up as Ash knelt to her level. "Today is a day to feel free. Take advantage of the time you have with these humans." Dark Magician Girl bought the act, nodding to the understanding.

"Thank you, grand master," she accepted. Ash helped Dark Magician Girl on her feet before seeing the rest of the people. The men gawked at Dark Magician Girl's arrival. Plenty of flirtatious comments echoed from the boys including Chazz wearing different pieces of metal on him. Red wings, yellow helmet, tusks and gauntlets and the torso and legs were blue. There was a dragon around the waist. "It's nice to see everyone again." She turned to Syrus, blushing heavily at seeing the blond girl. Syrus looked like a train conductor while Hassleberry garnered himself as a black velociraptor.

"Dark Magician Girl, you came back!" he excitedly welcomed with rosy cheeks. Dark Magician Girl laughed as Ash had to ask about the outfit.

"What's with the train conductor suit?" he asked.

"You see, it resembles my Steamroid. Here!" Syrus showed the card to Ash. It had a picture of a vintage train with eyes and wheels extended out like arms. Its Attack and Defense were impressive for a Level Four Machine: 1800 each.

"Steamroid… depending on the attacker will strengthen or weaken it. A risk/reward monster." Returning the card, Syrus took notice of Ash's costume.

"I didn't think you had that, Ash. The legendary Magician of Black Chaos, a Ritual Monster controlled by the King of Games himself." Dark Magician Girl blinked. She didn't picture Ash and this costumed Magician of Black Chaos as the same person. Dorothy and Fontaine soon emerged to see the crowd. Fontaine appeared like a nurse with wings while carrying a balloon on her back which took the shape of a giant syringe.

"Wow, a lot of Duel Monsters for Spirit Day!" awed Fontaine before finding Ash. She approached the group with Dorothy also seeing Ash's new garb as they took stock of Chazz's armor.

"VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon?" gulped Jaden. "Talk about a mouth full."

"Yeah, but at least I can move more freely this time," Chazz gloated. "Not to mention that I also have my Duel Disk to challenge the new kid." Ash scoffed to the challenge.

"I'll admit, Chazz," Alexis opened up. "Your getup is impressive." The compliment irked a blush from the paled raven-haired.

"Glad you like it, Alexis." Syrus saw the cheeks, feeling Chazz wasn't acting his character.

"Machines aren't programmed to feel admired, Chazz," he pointed out. Chazz snapped out of his delusion in a fit.

"Who's asking you, Truesdale?!" Fontaine and Dorothy couldn't wait any longer.

"How's everyone doing?" spoke Dorothy. Now Ash and Dark Magician Girl saw Dorothy before becoming pale with dread.

 _'You need to retire that outfit, Dorothy,'_ Dark Magician Girl thought.

"Ash, I love that costume," Fontaine complimented. "You and that Dark Magician Girl look like a cute couple." The two named nervously chuckled.

"Anyway, are you dressed as Injection Fairy Lilly?" the genuine Dark Magician Girl asked.

"You noticed… I mean, after all, I'm the Academy's nurse." That's when Syrus got on the bullhorn.

"Okay, welcome to Duel Academy's Spirit Day!" he announced under a giant screen and Hassleberry joining his side. Crowler, who didn't dress up, arrived to see the festivities. Dark Magician Girl pointed to Chazz. This appeared to be an invite to Chazz who nodded. Dark Magician Girl now turned to Ash for support as Syrus continued his speech.

"Wish me luck!" she requested before she and Chazz got on the field. Dark Magician Girl applied a fancy pink duel disk with pink flame decals. Both Duel Disks were displayed on a screen for all to see. As everyone settled down to watch the duel, Pikachu's ears perked up despite the hood covering them. Seeing the hood pop up, Ash knew his Pokémon sensed an issue.

"Pikachu?" he called. Before he could get a clarification, Pikachu sprinted off, making good traction with his hood. Ash chased and before long, both entered the forest behind the Academy. Jesse saw the two leave and offered to tail, Ruby and Winged Kuriboh joining him. Slowing after entering the wood, Ash saw Pikachu focusing his hearing. "Did you pick up anything?" Just then, echoes of laughter. Pikachu sensed trouble, but ran further in to find the source. Finally, the laughter stopped. It seemed the two were lost when Ash found a card. The face-down card received a sniff from the Pokémon. Ash picked the card up to see a redhead girl in a tan cloak and surrounded by fire. The Attack was a lackluster 500 but the Defense made up for most at 1500.

"There you are!" called out Jesse. Ash turned to see Jesse a little out of breath.

"Sorry. Pikachu heard something and we all found this area." Pikachu squeaked in an apology.

"Well, as long as you're not causing a ruckus..." Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh saw fire behind Ash and squeaked itself. All turned to see the same fiery redhead that appeared on the card, now wearing boots. "Is that a Duel Spirit?" Ruby mewed to the question. The redhead opened her eyes to see Ash holding her card, gasping at the costume.

"Ma- Ma- Magician of Black Chaos?" she gasped. Ash shook his head to deny the identity. "Wait, what?"

"Sorry. It's Spirit Day today." The redhead slapped her head.

"Great. More silliness." Looking at the card, then the redhead, Ash had a guess to her identity.

"So you're Hiita, the Fire Charmer?" he guessed.

"Yeah, and I can tell that you're seeing Duel Spirits like me. Though I'm one of a group of Charmers." Jesse snapped his fingers in knowing the rest.

"Right," he spoke up. "There's Wynn, the Wind Charmer; Aussa the Earth Charmer; Eria, the Water Charmer; Lyna, the Light Charmer; and Dharc, the Dark Charmer." Ash stood aghast at the different types of Charmers.

"It's kinda like Eevee's different evolutions," he compared. "Flareon, the Fire-Type; Vaporeon, the Water-Type; Jolteon, the Electric-Type; Umbreon, the Dark-Type; Espeon, the Psychic-Type; Leafeon, the Grass-Type; and Glaceon, the Ice-Type." Jesse whistled at the amount of Pokémon. Hiita looked befuddled at the list.

"What the heck kind of list is that?" she asked.

"It's a long story, Hiita. Trust me."

"I guess… Anyway, since you found my card and… I'm here… I guess I'm your Spirit Partner. As long as I'm in your deck, we can blaze to victory." With Jesse as a witness, Ash and Hiita shook hands and gave Ash a couple more cards to use. Winged Kuriboh and Jesse approved the new bond. Jaden arrived to see the new addition.

"Hey, bro!" he announced. "Been wondering what's going on."

"Sorry, Jaden," Ash apologized. "We're done here." Jaden led the boys back to the duel with Dark Magician Girl and Chazz. The scores had Dark Magician Girl with 2600 and two monsters on her side while Chazz had 2450 and two armored dragons. Dark Magician Girl's monsters included a dirty blond version of herself wearing stockings. The other was a blond man in emerald green armor and with a sword. Chazz's monsters were a white steel dragon with a metallic mask and a beefy black dragon with spikes all over its body. Apparently, it was Chazz's turn.

"First, I'll discard X-Head Cannon to activate Armed Dragon, Level Five's special ability," he called. "Armed Dragon, Level Five! Take out Neo!" The spiked dragon with drills on its knees raced in at the blond in armor and carved him out of existence. Dark Magician Girl cringed. "Now, take out Magician's Valkyria!" The dragon, with an Attack of 2400, slashed the young female blond, whose Attack of only 1600, to pieces. Dark Magician Girl's score fell to 1800. "Masked Dragon, she's wide open! Strike!" The plated dragon did some serious damage by shooting a fireball that struck Dark Magician Girl. The 1400 Attack nearly spelled the end for Dark Magician Girl, her score now down to a mere 400. The crowd disproved the brutal assault. "As I end my turn, I'm upgrade Armed Dragon from Level Five to Level Seven!" The spiked dragon soon got himself a nice makeover as it slimmed down but grew bigger and had silver armor with blades. The Attack of this new creature rose to 2800. "Prepare to fall like you did against Jaden." Dark Magician Girl drew a card with a smirk.

"I haven't forgotten," she remembered. "First, I'll play Monster Reborn and bring back Buster Blader!" The Monster Reborn card emerged before a giant azure blue suit of armor emerged with a giant sword, its Attack at an impressive 2600 and Defense of 2300. Now I'll play Polymerization which I'll combine Buster Blader with my Dark Magician!" Out of nowhere, the man from the poster came to life. Suddenly, the two became balls of light before combining. "I summon the Dark Paladin!" From the light, it looked like Dark Magician in Buster Blader's armor and wielding a pike. He had an Attack of 2900 and Defense of 2400. "Now, if I'm mistaken, Armed Dragon, Level Seven is your fifth dragon, right?"

"So what?"

"Dark Paladin's Attack grows with every Dragon you've played." Chazz gulped when he saw Dark Paladin's Attack skyrocket to 5400. "I'll make it easy on you with my Dark Paladin attack your Armed Dragon. Take it out!" Dark Paladin sheared his pike through the Armed Dragon. Destroyed, Armed Dragon broke apart as did Chazz, whose score dried out to zero. A horn blared.

"That's it!" shouted Syrus as Chazz fell to his knees. The monsters vanished. "Dark Magician Girl's the winner!" The crowd cheered for an exciting duel. Dark Magician Girl reached Chazz for a praise.

"Thanks for the duel, Chazz!" The compliment helped Chazz back on his feet. There were a few more duels throughout the day, none which Ash or Jaden participated in. As night fell, Chancellor Sheppard joined the fray and soon, the stage had been set.

"Everyone, we thank you for participating in Spirit Day," he praised. "Throughout the day, everyone voted on which costumed students were the best." Dorothy handed a few envelopes to Sheppard. "Thank you, Dorothy… and it seems our first winner is unanimous: the non-human participant. That honor… goes to Pikachu for his Baby Dragon!" Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, squealed in excitement from his new victory.

"Go on stage, Pikachu!" ordered Ash with a smile. Obeying, Pikachu ran up to the stage which Fontaine picked the Pokémon to give a kiss to the cheek.

"You'll be supplied with tasty food for you and the rest of Ash's Pokémon." Pikachu enjoyed the gift from the Chancellor. "Now for the men's division voted by the women… In third place, Jesse Andersen for his Crystal Beast collaboration!" Jesse heard the cheers, waiving to the crowd. "In second place… Chazz Princeton for his VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Chazz mulled. He couldn't win today.

"Just… my… luck!" he growled. The crowd cheered on, even if he didn't think he deserved it as he and Jesse reached the stage.

"And the winner… Ash Ketchum for his Magician of Black Chaos!" Ash gawked at his new win. His costume was a real hit with the crowd and his title proved it. Even Crowler couldn't believe who wore the winning costume.

"Wait, that new Slifer Slacker's the Magician of Black Chaos?" he gawked. "This must be him cheating. I gotta find out how!" Ash joined the stage and greeted with a kiss from Fontaine on the cheek. Ash began to blush under the face-paint. Chazz growled that his costume came up short.

"How can he win looking like that?" he snarled. Jesse heard the complaint and saw someone coming.

"Looks like Chazz may get a consolation prize," he pointed out. Hearing that he may get something after all, he snickered and closed his eyes.

"It's about time Alexis realized that I was her man." Unbeknown to him, Dorothy hung around the raven-haired runner-up. The Ojamas saw this and tried to warn Chazz.

"Chazz, that's not Alexis!" the green Ojama alerted.

"Quiet!" Dorothy got Chazz on the cheek with a kiss. Feeling the rather large lips, Chazz finally looked and freaked out. "What the heck!" The students and Dorothy laughed at Chazz's reaction. Sheppard had one more envelope to read.

"Finally, voted by the boys, the results of the women's division. In third place… Blair Flannigan for her Maiden in Love!" Blair waived to the acknowledging cheer. "In second place… Alexis Rhodes for her Cyber Gymnast!" Alexis simply walked on stage with Blair. "And the winner… Dark Magician Girl!" The choice sent Dark Magician Girl in glee as she sprinted to Ash and hugged him, tears flowing from her eyes.

"I won!" she cried. "I can't believe I won!" The crowd cheers, some making fun of her reaction. After the festivities, Ash washed his face of the paint. He looked exhausted from the day's events. Entering his dorm, he hung a medal reading "SPIRIT DAY CONTEST: 1ST" on his desk and held by a thumb tack. Pikachu chose to wear the hood from Dorothy.

"Are you gonna wear that as your pajamas?" teased Ash.

("Why not?") Pikachu squeaked. ("It's comfy.") Ash had folded the suit from today and was ready to put it back in the case when he found two cards. He pulled them out and saw Magician of Black Chaos in a blue card. The stat of the card had a vicious Attack of 2800 and a stellar Defense of 2600.

"Magician of Black Chaos… It says that I need this in my hand when I use Black Magic Ritual…" That's when he saw the name of the other card. This new card was a Magic Card. "Black Magic Ritual..." The magic card had two gold goblet stands with wings and spewing smoke while a blue flame hovered over a red six-point star. "This card is used to Special Summon Magician of Black Chaos. For this to work, you must sacrifice monsters from user's hand and/or field that total Level is at least Eight." A risky card to have. The cards looked useful to have for a duel. "I think I may have a leg up against anyone else with these two cards in my deck, even Chazz." He looked at the clock, reading 11:00 PM. "I'll need to get some sleep to help everyone tomorrow." Pikachu agreed as they both chose to crash for tomorrow. About half an hour from dozing off, a figure appeared out of thin air. Dark Magician Girl entered and saw Ash without the face-paint or outfit.

"I can't believe this boy and Magician of Black Chaos were one in the same," she awed. Viewing his deck, she decided to drop two more cards in it. Dark Magician Girl spun back to Ash, enamored by his young face as Hiita risen from the deck. She began to mumble something incoherent before kissing Ash on the lips. On that, she vanished. As the island sounded quiet, an unusual veil waved throughout. Was this a threat to the students?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

 _(Those who are also reading "Totally Brothered" will have for a while as I'm stepping away to do a funny one-shot. It's one of plenty of new projects I have been planning to write for awhile. Sorry for the inconvenience.)_


	7. Oh, Harem No!

_Chapter 7: Oh, Harem No!_

* * *

 _(Jasmine's Dream)_

 _In a far away tower, Jasmine watched the forests and mountains for someone. Her shimmering sleeveless white ballgown with her silky arm-length gloves held in prayer. She viewed the scene when figures appeared out of nowhere. A knight entered her sight while riding on top of a golden thorn dragon. Wearing azure blue armor with red blades strewn over his body, the knight flew to the tower with Pikachu on the dragon's nose. "Gaia, the Dragon Champion!" she identified with a gasp. The dragon descended nearing the tower, wounds all over its body. The knight hopped off, thankful for its aid. He looked up to Jasmine._

" _Princess!" he called, the voice familiar to the brunette's ears. "Art thou unharmed?"_

" _Yes! What of thine sorcerer?" The knight scoffed to the question._

" _He and his divine dragon? Nay but obstacles! Be still, I'm on my way!" Using a pair of lances, the knight turned the door to splinters before making his way up the tower. He reached the top swiftly, disregarding the weight of his armor. He kicked the door from the hinges where Jasmine met her knight in shining armor as he removed his helmet, revealing himself as Ash, unusually taller than her. Jasmine hugged him, thankful for the rescue._

" _I knew you'd come! You're the only warrior I trusted to protect me, even after my abduction." Ash felt humbled to her words._

" _As long as you're safe and secured, my heart won't beat ferociously." At the window, he signaled Pikachu to alert the dragon._

 _("They're ready, Curse of Dragon,") he squeaked. Curse of Dragon lifted itself upward as it reached the window where Ash stood, ready to board himself and Jasmine onto the beast. Through the window, Ash saddled himself before Jasmine sat on Ash's lap. Curse of Dragon started to fly back the way they entered._

" _The king and queen dread in fear of your status. We'll return you to the kingdom so-"_

" _I refuse!" snapped Jasmine. Ash and Pikachu wondered her denial. "To be pampered and prim… Having servants coddle me to no end… To wait for a prince of thy father and mother's choosing instead of my will..." She no longer wanted the lifestyle she had been forced to live on. "I want to stay with my knight in shining armor: you, my_ real _prince!" Ash smiled, accepting the proposal._

" _Then it's to my cottage… Princess Jasmine." She clasped his head and pulled down to engage a kiss as Curse of Dragon flew away._

* * *

 _(Mindy's Dream)_

 _A rock concert. Many people came to listen to music sung, played on electric guitars, drums, keyboards… Mindy partied with some of her friends as they rocked to the music played on the stage. There was a blond man with a red electric guitar strumming hard. On the mic stand was Ash, belting out lyrics that sent the crowd to a frenzy. Pikachu stood backstage, watching the crowd but wearing earplugs from the excessive noise. "Wow, Ash is so awesome!" squealed Mindy. After a song, the crowd cheered, wanting more._

" _Hey, thank you all for coming out to see us, Metal Raiders!" the singer, Ash, praised. "Give it up for our drummer, Jaden!" Clapping the sticks, Jaden applauded. "Our keyboard master, Jesse!" Hitting a few keys, Jesse accepted the cheers. "And I can't forget the Heavy Metal King on guitar!" The spiky blond man in the leather jacket with spikes from his shoulders performed a solo, stirring the crowd more and fist-bumped Ash after._

" _Go, Raiders!" a fan yelled. That's when Ash spotted Mindy in the crowd. He pointed before waiving her to come to the stage. Mindy gasped at the invite._

" _Me?" she guessed. When Ash nodded, Mindy rushed the stage before hoisted up by the lead singer._

" _Got a song that I know you'll like," he offered. "Think you can sing it with me?" The excitement built and the expressing girl couldn't pass an offer like his. Their next song, both enjoyed the rocking musical number. "Thank you, Mindy." The guest shook her head._

" _No… Thank_ you!" _That's when she came to his face and kissed him on the lips._

* * *

 _(Reality)_

Alas, they were two of many dreams infecting the minds of Obelisk Blue's female students. Moans for their new student, expressive yelps and many talking in their sleep. One student wasn't in the same wavelength in dreaming… and that was Alexis. She had used the bathroom before returning. Hearing the name of Ash throughout the dormitory puzzled the blond. "What's the big deal?" she wondered. "Why would they be dreaming of Ash? His Magician of Black Chaos outfit?" The mystery didn't bother her enough to keep her from sleep. The next morning at Slifer Red, the residents began to have breakfast delivered by Hassleberry.

"Now, dig in, soldiers!" he ordered. "We've got some training ahead of us!" The group chowed on the foods including eggs, cereal, donuts and bacon. There was also milk and orange juice to wash it all down.

"What kind of… training does Hassleberry have… in mind?" asked Ash as he ate.

"Don't… let it get… to you, Ash!" answered Jaden during the same manner. "It's suppose… to help our focus." As they ate, Pikachu's ears heard something from outside. Turning to the door, a thought came to mind after doing a head count.

("Blair?") he guessed. The door opened with Blair looking as if she had plenty of sleep.

"There's my hero!" she cheered as she hugged Ash with hearts in her eyes. Needless to say that everyone's surprised, including Pikachu. "Thought you could run away from me, but I know your alter ego!" No one understood Blair's sudden behavior.

"Someone woke up on the right side of the bed for once," Jaden joked. Ash thought some food could help free her grip.

"I know you got up," he tried to talk some sense. "You're probably hungry and we've got a long day ahead..."

"No way!" she shouted. "I want you as my breakfast, not bacon and eggs!" Her behavior seemed to be getting more bizarre.

"Maybe you can forgo today's training session and regroup yourselves in your dorm," snorted Chazz. Before anyone else, perhaps Pikachu, had an idea, fierce knocking at the door alerted everyone. Hassleberry opened the door, viewing two boys from Obelisk Blue gasping for air.

"Is Ash in here?" the blond Obelisk student asked. Ash came forward with Blair still clinging onto him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"You need to bail and find a hiding spot, pronto!" the tanned auburn-haired young man advised.

"The girls are in a tizzy about you!" the blond explained, still short of breath. Learning from the two, the source seemed to come from the girls dorm of their color. This bothered Chazz and he felt one of those girls was one he constantly bragged about.

"Alexis better not be in that crowd or else, he needs to pay big time!" he growled. Blair also felt concerned but not in the same light.

"No one's taking my superhero away from me!" she proclaimed before they felt the ground shake. The Obelisk boys spun to see a cascade of girls barreling right at them, hearts in place of their eyes.

"Tell that to them!" the auburn-haired shrieked. Instead of slowing down, the girls stormed the dining hall. The room stuffed quickly but somehow, the boys escaped, leaving those who warned Ash to be in the pile. The girls came out to find Ash and gave chase. For a moment, the boys hid themselves at the lighthouse but Mindy grabbed Ash and pulled him into the mess before the rest of the boys. Pikachu escaped first before Jaden while carrying Ash, then the rest. They tried rooms at the Ra Yellow dormitory, but that didn't go as planned. Ash bailed from the chimney, nearly burned by the "hot and bothered" type. One time, Ash was solo and running as Pikachu stayed with the rest of the boys. That became a bad idea. Mindy and Jasmine led a trap around Ash.

"What now?" he gulped. The girls tackled him, raining hugs and kisses about his face, some nearing his own lips. Somehow, he brought Chimchar out which he dug a tunnel for the two to escape behind some trees. Ash emerged from the hole with a tattered jacket and lip-shaped lipstick over his cheeks and eyelids. "Thanks, Chimchar!" The Playful Pokémon hooted before they ran off. When the girls found out he escaped from their unified grasp, the chase resumed. Ash hid in some trees as the girls passed by. "Man, those girls are crazy for me. And here I thought it might have been because of Pikachu." As he tried to relax…

"Wishing you weren't on the island, Slifer boy?" sounded Crowler. Looking down, Ash saw the adult and wondered about his appearance.

"Interested in the commotion down here, huh? Well, I'm trying to find out why."

"I bet it's not that big of a deal. After all, you've been becoming quite a celebrity in the Duel Academy." Ash began his decent, checking to see if the coast had no more girls on his tail. "Back in your world… you climb a lot?"

"Kinda..." He touched on the earth at perhaps the worst time. The earthquake told Ash he needed to escape once more. "See ya!" He dashed away before the girls arrived and Crowler could ask.

"Duel Academy doesn't have a fault… does it?" He turned to the noise and the oncoming party of young women… only to scream and waive for them to stop. No use. The girls trampled over Crowler and left him in a heap, full of shoe prints and broken bones. Ash seemed to be running out of real estate in regards to hiding spots.

"Ash!" shouted Jaden. Ash turned to see Jaden in the academy waiving him in. Entering, Ash found his partner. Jaden and Jesse gathered Ash and the Pokémon to a smaller room where Chazz awaited.

"Man, what's going on?" wondered Jesse. "Those girls are out of control!" Winged Kuriboh, Hiita, Ruby and the Ojamas emerged, also concerned.

"That's a light way of putting it," Jaden huffed, slightly exhausted from all the running. "This would be Chazz's dream if he wanted to live it."

"I'd be happy if it was only Alexis," Chazz snapped back. That's when he noticed Hiita's head looking at the ceiling. "Hey, why aren't you going gaga for Ash like everyone else." The rest turned to Hiita in the same surprise.

"Chazz has a point, I thought every girl-" the green Ojama tried to point out when Ruby interrupted with its mewing.

"Was this the doing of Dark Magician Girl?" guessed Hiita. Everyone now turned to the Fire Charmer duel spirit in curiosity.

"Dark Magician Girl?" repeated Jesse.

"Yeah… Last night, I saw Dark Magician Girl in Ash's dorm after she put a few cards on top of me. I got annoyed but that's when she leaned over, muttered something and kissed him on the lips." Ash couldn't grasp at the news of Dark Magician Girl kissing him.

"Weird," he wondered. "I didn't feel anything last night." It wasn't denial in Ash's voice, more of confusion.

"You could still be reeling from so many lips on you," the yellow Ojama thought. The guess wasn't too farfetched from fact.

"It could be..." That's when Pikachu saw an air vent and heard girls from outside. The Electric Mouse Pokémon squeaked in warning about noise.

"Pikachu's warning us to lower with the girls outside," Jaden whispered.

"Yeah, good luck with that," the black Ojama scoffed. "It's not like these other humans can hear Duel Spirits." Chazz groaned at the Ojamas' criticism.

"It's you three that I'd rather not hear!" he shouted. The boys cringed that Chazz exposed their hiding spot. When a rumble shook the vents, it spelled trouble. "It's guys like you that I wanna leave behind."

"Even though you're the one who couldn't shut up?" snapped Jesse. From the air vents and the door, the girls teamed up to get Ash. During the mad scramble in the room, Jaden pulled Chazz and Jesse yanked Ash and Pikachu from the pile. Chimchar found his way from the pile, just to follow close behind.

"Jaden!" called out Syrus. The group ran down to the Academy Gym where Syrus, Hassleberry, Bastion and Crowler waited. Once the boys entered, the others slammed the door and barricaded it with chairs, I-Beam and other items. Hopefully, this bought time for the boys to catch their breath.

"There's just no end to the blitzkrieg," Hassleberry huffed.

"Can't this day just end already?" complained Crowler. Once getting a breather, an angered Chazz snagged Ash by the collar.

"This is all your fault!" he shouted. "If your jet-ski didn't suffer that malfunction..." Pikachu, not wanting to see his trainer get hurt, let out a burst of electricity that zapped both. This loosened the grip and Chazz collapsed to the ground.

"No wonder those two are closely together," Crowler studied. "Pokémon have a tendency to look after their trainers." The barricade held up and allowed everyone inside to catch their breath. "All three classes have the girls losing their minds over the new slacker."

"We know, but what can I do about it?" asked Ash.

"The only thing we can do at this point," Hassleberry shrugged. "What, should we make out to get the girls away from us?" Pained faces on the rest told Hassleberry otherwise. "Guess not." Chimchar saw the bleachers and the doorway, hooting about another way the girls could enter. As the rest turned to where Chimchar pointed to, the girls entered, ready to meet their product of affection.

"If they're not completely under this trance, they'll know the drop from the sideline seats is pretty high," Bastion warned. The girls reached over the rails, disregarding the large drop below.

"There's no where to go!" cried Syrus. Unfortunately, one teen did reach the boys…

"Found you, Ash!" sounded Alexis. All turned to the blond on the ground. "Chazz, get out of his way!" The boys gawked at Alexis' demand.

"Why, so you can give him love in front of me?" argued Chazz.

"If that's what I'm after, I'd rather do it to Jaden or anyone but you, Princeton!" Chazz snarled at Alexis' retort. That's when Jesse noticed something different about the blond compared to the other girls.

"Guys, Alexis is acting normally," he pointed out. "She doesn't appear to be under the same spell as the rest of the girls." Bastion and Jaden studied the situation before realizing the difference.

"Yeah, you're right," Jaden gulped. "I wonder why?" Ash accepted the deal despite Chazz's protest. Crowler grabbed a Duel Disk as Alexis slipped hers on. He handed the Duel Disk to Ash for him to slip on his wrist.

"Crowler must have known I'm here to duel you," Alexis acknowledged. "Perhaps, I can understand why the girls of the academy are suddenly smitten." Both slipped in their decks, their scores reading 4000. The girls cheered Ash for the duel.

"Go, honey!" yelled Jasmine.

"Alexis isn't one of us!" called out Blair. "Make her pay!" Ash and Alexis wanted the time to duel be now.

"Let's duel!" they shouted as they drew five cards each.

"I'll let you go first!" offered Alexis. Ash nodded as he drew one more card.

"Thanks!" he accepted as he placed the new card in his hand for a few more. "First, I summon Dark Blade in Attack Mode!" Dark Blade appeared as he placed the card on the Duel Disk, his 1800 Attack on display. "Next, I play Different Dimension Capsule… and send one card from play!" Different Dimension Capsule appeared, knowing the card in question will be back in his hand after his next two turns. "One more card and that will do it for my turn!" Alexis believed that Ash's card had to do with Dark Blade from the Different Dimension Capsule as she drew a card from her deck.

"I heard you don't waste time with moves. Unfortunately, I have counters. First, I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" She placed a Magic Card in a slot which risen to show a green vortex of wind. "This allows me to destroy a Magic or Trap Card on the field… I know you and that Dark Blade have a good unity. Too bad Different Dimension Capsule won't help out in this case!" A typhoon emerged and twisted Different Dimension Capsule to ribbons. "Since Different Dimension Capsule was destroyed before it could be resolved, that card you had saved is now removed permanently from the game." Ash gritted the setback. "Next, I summon Cyber Tutu to the field in Attack Mode!" Once on her Duel Disk, a pink-haired girl appeared in the red/cyan spandex outfit with a frilly skirt and ballerina slippers. Her Attack was at 1000 and Defense was at a sub-par 800. This befuddled Ash.

'Cyber Tutu? Why would she summon something that weak in Attack Mode?' Alexis saw the confused daze on Ash's face.

"That look tells me that you're trying to understand why I'd purposely summon Cyber Tutu when she's much weaker than your Dark Blade. You see, if Cyber Tutu's attack is weaker than any of your monsters, she can go directly after you." Cyber Tutu danced around Dark Blade and reached Ash.

"This can't be good..." But instead of a spinning kick, Cyber Tutu snagged Ash's head before leaning down and kissing him… in the lips. Cyber Tutu held both lips as a ripple shook in the air. The veil vanished above Duel Academy. The faces of boys at seeing could only be explained as weights attached to their lower jaws, pulled down in dismay and shock, even Pikachu on Hassleberry and Chimchar on Bastion couldn't erase the image of the kiss. Alexis gawked at her monster's moment of affection.

"What the heck, Cyber Tutu?!" Her kiss complete and Ash's Life Points dropping to 3000, Cyber Tutu returned to Alexis' side. Stunned silence, no more than a pin drop could be heard… before Chazz broke the quietness.

"I knew it all along!" he roared. "You're also falling for this newbie!" Caught in a moment of unsure, Alexis tried to deny any emotion.

"You've got it all wrong, Chazz!" the panicked blond waived away. "There's no way!"

"Liar! You used Cyber Tutu's special ability to confess your feelings!"

"Idiot! There's nothing between us!" Meanwhile, Ash stood, puzzled at the monster's sudden smooch.

"That was weird," he murmured. As he tried to make any sense of what happened…

"Come on, Alexis!" a girl in the crowd shouted.

"Whip that Slifer Slacker!" another girl roared. The girls began a mutiny on Ash. There was Blair, Jasmine and Mindy still cheering Ash on but it felt like relief to him that the girls no longer lorn for him. Of course, that didn't quite clear the fog for the boys.

"Can someone help me understand what the heck just happened?" asked Crowler.

"I'm afraid that an explanation won't be enough," Bastion shrugged. The crowd of young ladies now cheering one of their own, Ash felt relieved that his nightmare ended.

"Wanna continue?" he asked Alexis. His opponent smiled, not wanting to end the contest so soon.

"You bet!" she replied. "I'll put a card face-down for now." The card appeared and Ash nodded to know it's his turn. Down 1000 Life Points and most of the crowd now rooting for Alexis, Ash has a battle on his hands.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Shuffled & Mon

_Chapter 8: Shuffled & Mon_

* * *

The duel started between Ash and Alexis after she challenged him to know why the girls of Duel Academy fawned over him. The fawning stopped after Cyber Tutu kissed Ash. He trailed Alexis 4000-3000 and each had a monster and a face-down card. The mostly female crowd chanted for Alexis. Ash drew his next card before putting in his hand full of cards in exchange for another. "Okay… I summon Pitch-Dark Dragon in Attack Mode!" he called out as he placed the Union card on the Duel Disk. With 900 Attack, Pitch-Dark Dragon made its appearance. This stunned the boys by the entrance. He tried to play Different Dimension Capsule but Alexis destroyed it.

"I'd imagine he use Different Dimension Capsule to have either one of Ash's monsters on standby," Syrus believed.

"Either that or this was his strategy to throw Alexis' game off," Bastion hypothesized. Since Pitch-Dark Dragon was on the field with Dark Blade, Ash could combine the two.

"Dark Blade, tear the Tutu to shreds!" he ordered. Dark Blade raced in and sliced Cyber Tutu, destroying her. Alexis received a good chunk of damage, her Life Point count at 3200. "Pitch-Dark Dragon! She's wide open!" Pitch-Dark Dragon spat its dark flames. On contact, Alexis covered up but her Life Points continued to fall, now behind Ash, 3000-2300. "I won't do anything else this turn." Alexis nodded before she drew her next card.

"Okay, then," she acknowledged. "I'll first use Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." Ash's eyebrow twitched at her card in hand.

"Oh, it's the same card I put in my Different Dimension Capsule which I can't play now." The boys gawked at the card which he tried to use quickly in the duel but now can't.

"He had Pot of Greed in the Different Dimension Capsule?" gulped Hassleberry. Alexis had more.

"Next, I'll put one card face-down in Defense Position," she continued. "And one more face-down and end my turn." Her announcement allowed Ash to draw.

"Alright!" He looked at the new card… and gasped. He drew Dark Magician Girl. He glared at the card, her Attack at 2000 and Defense at 1700. 'I remember putting in Magician of Black Chaos, but not this! When did she get in my deck?' Dark Magician Girl giggled from the card and winked to Ash. "Great..." Putting the card in his hand, he chose to attack. "Sorry… Anyway, I play Rush Recklessly! Pitch-Dark Dragon will get a 700 Attack jump!" Pitch-Dark Dragon's Attack increased to 1600, if only for one turn. "Attack that face-down!" Pitch-Dark Dragon fired the blaze again, but the card flipped and revealed Cyber Gymnast, her Defense at 1800. The defensive monster stood firm. "Nothing?" Alexis pressed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Almost… I activate Destruction Punch!" A magenta card popped up which had a green kangaroo punching a man. "Since my Cyber Gymnast's Defense is greater than your Pitch-Dark Dragon, Destruction Punch will use this to destroy your attacking monster!" Pitch-Dark Dragon exploded and Ash's Life Points took a hit, down to 2800. Ash could use Dark Blade but the Destruction Punch could work against him. He also had no other monsters to use for an attack even if he needed to call forth.

"I'll put one card face-down in Defense, plus one more and call it." On his word, Alexis drew a card.

"Now I'll play The Warrior Returning Alive and bring back Cyber Tutu!" The Spell Card was a ragged blond knight holding himself up with a big sword. From the card, Cyber Tutu made her encore appearance. "However, since you have one card face-down, I can't use the same direct attack. Needless to say, that kiss is more than enough for me." Both duelists shared a laugh.

"At least for today."

"Right. Anyway, I've got another thing in my hand. First, I'm playing Prima Light!" A new Spell Card emerged with a spotlight over a woman in a gray spandex suit with rings around her waist and wrists. "This allows me to sacrifice Cyber Tutu so that I can summon Cyber Prima!" Cyber Tutu bowed before her curtain call once more before the white-haired woman from the Prima Light emerged, her Attack at an alarming 2300. "Second, I'll switch Cyber Gymnast to Attack Mode!" Cyber Gymnast stood up, her Attack not so high, only 800. "Cyber Prima, ring up Dark Blade!" Cyber Prima twirled around Dark Blade before kicking him away. Ash's Life Points continued to fall, now tied with Alexis at 2300. "Cyber Gymnast, that face-down card!" Cyber Gymnast hurled herself in the air before landing a kick… on Hiita. Her Defense stood at 1500, able to deflect the blow. Alexis cringed, her tie being short-lived as now her Life Points now down to 1600.

"Thanks, Hiita!" The Fire Charmer winked with a thumb up.

"You got lucky. You won't be in the next turn which is now." Ash drew another card. When he glanced at it, highly interested in the card.

"Perfect..." Turning to Hiita, Ash planned to end the duel. "Thanks, Hiita. I'll take it from here." Hiita nodded before stepping up. "I'll sacrifice Hiita…" The Fire Charmer summoned a swirl of fire around her. "… And summon… Dark Magician Girl!" The arena gasped heavily at the announcement of the monster. Out of the fire, Dark Magician Girl revealed herself, Attack at 2000 and Defense at 1700. Shock and dismay filled the stands, and the boys watching.

"He has Dark Magician Girl?!" gawked Syrus. "No fair!"

"Who knew the private had a secret weapon in that?" wondered Hassleberry. Ash had more.

"Now, I've got more with Monster Reborn! Welcome back, Dark Blade!" The Monster Reborn card showed up before Dark Blade emerged. "Next, I activate Roll Out and bring Pitch-Dark Dragon to equip to Dark Blade!" The Roll Out Trap card flipped upward. Suddenly, Pitch-Dark Dragon emerged before scooping Dark Blade. Ash could take out Cyber Gymnast but Cyber Prima was still stronger than the combined force of the Warrior and Dragon duo or Dark Magician Girl. However, he had one more weapon. "Now I play this: Rush Recklessly! Allow me to boost Dark Blade's Attack by 700!" Dark Blade's Attack jumped from 1800 to 2200 to 2900, more than enough to fight Cyber Prima, and Alexis felt the duel ending soon. She had nothing to defend herself or her Cyber girls. "Dark Blade, attack Cyber Prima!" Dark Blade sliced Cyber Prima to pieces. Alexis watched as her monster fell, as did her Life Points now at 1000. "Alexis, no hard feelings, okay?" Alexis realized that Ash had fun with their duel, thus nodding. "Dark Magician Girl, let's wrap this up!" Dark Magician Girl fired a magic missile in the shape of a heart which blasted Cyber Gymnast. Alexis screamed as the last of her Life Points dropped. The duel ended. "Yes! It's over!" The boys, Jasmine, Mindy and Blair cheered in Ash's win. The rest looked disappointed with the loss. Alexis fell on to her knees in defeat, prompting Ash to run to her aid as his monsters vanished.

"What a defeat," she muttered as Ash reached her.

"You okay?" Alexis looked up to her opponent offering a hand to help out. She accepted.

"Yeah. I think you should be in Obelisk Blue, not Slifer Red." On their feet, both duelists shook hands. The crowd applauded the sportsmanship between the two.

"Well, that ended better than we thought," Jaden huffed.

"At least it's peaceful," Jesse praised. "Just imagine what would happen if Ash lost." Syrus couldn't help the fact that Ash had the card of the girl from Spirit Day on hand.

"I'm wondering how he got a hold of Dark Magician Girl!" he pointed out. The gym started to clear out as the boys met the winner.

"Sorry about the mess before," Ash apologized.

"Ah, don't worry!" laughed Jaden. "Compared to when there's a serious duel, at least the damage wasn't severe." Syrus' scoff told Ash that it wasn't the truth.

"You mean like every time you lose a duel?" he sneered.

"Hey!" The boys had a good laugh to this, as well as Alexis.

"Anyway, I hope you don't get too worked on Duel Monsters to forget about your Pokémon," Bastion warned. "I would like to know how Pokémon battles work and how they differ from Duel Monsters."

"Good idea!" agreed Hassleberry. "I, too, would like to know." The look on Ash's face seemed to want a part of this idea.

"You bet," he answered. "I gotta take care of a few things here. I'll see you back at the dorm." The boys agreed before heading out. Ash returned the loaned Duel Disk to Crowler. On his way back with Pikachu and Chimchar, Alexis reached Ash and his Pokémon.

"Hey, Ash!" she called. The three twisted to see the blond.

"What's up?" Alexis petted Chimchar, the Pokémon enjoying it.

"Yesterday, you said that Pikachu's Baby Dragon reminded you of a small Charizard or however it's called. Do you have anything to show me what one looks like?" Ash nodded to the question as he reached his pocket.

"I always keep this on hand." He pulled out his PokéDex and opened it.

"Nifty device." Ash pressed some buttons before finding what looked like a giant orange winged lizard with its tail aflame. It had horns on its head. He handed the device to Alexis to see.

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon, and the final evolutionary form of Charmander," it registered. Hearing the device while peering around a tree, Chazz viewed the two engaged in more conversation. "A prideful battler, Charizard will often challenge stronger Pokémon to satisfy its own." Alexis saw the comparison between Charizard and Baby Dragon thanks to the PokéDex.

"They _do_ look similar. Do you have one?"

"Yeah, but off training at the Charicific Valley. Most of my Pokémon I left back home in Pallet Town." Alexis messed around with the PokéDex some more, seeing Pokémon recorded under "Owned Pokémon" including Pikachu. One Pokémon irked Alexis' ire: a gargantuan blue bear.

"Snorlax?" She hit the play button.

"Snorlax, the Hibernate Pokémon," the Dex computed. "Snorlax can consume at least 900 pounds of food before it sleeps." Ash itched his head, wanting to explain that one.

"Snorlax was a funny one, especially when I dressed as an apple to lure it." Alexis gasped, then laughed, not believing this brief. She pictured Ash as an apple being chased by Snorlax.

"You're kidding!"

"True story..." The admittance got Alexis to start chortling loud, placing her hands on his shoulders after his Pokémon leaped down. Tears trickled as Alexis cackled on Ash's shoulder.

"That's hilarious!" Chazz steamed at Ash loaning a shoulder for the blond.

"Get away from him..." he growled. The Ojamas appeared, wanting to settle their duelist.

"It's not worth it!" they warned in unison. Chazz wanted to confront Ash about Alexis and his blood continued to boil as both headed to the Slifer Red dorm with Chimchar on Alexis' shoulder and Pikachu on Ash's. The two arrived to see the rest, stunned that Alexis joined in.

"Hey, Alexis!" greeted Jaden. "You interested in Pokémon, too?"

"I actually am," she replied. "After all, I did look through his PokéDex and he told me some funny stories including his times he dressed up as a girl and as fruit." Ash's cheeks blushed in embarrassment.

"Anyway, we're ready to be taught about Pokémon from the trainer himself," Syrus explained. "Ash, can you bring out your Pokémon?"

"Of course," Ash agreed as he threw his balls upward. "Come on out!" The balls opened and released Buizel, Gligar, Staravia and Turtwig. Everyone gathered around for the new Duel Academy student to play teacher. "Pokémon has some similarities to Duel Monsters where you can send your best to confront your opponents, but unlike Duel Monsters, Pokémon aren't one-trick Ponyta. Take my Pokémon for example: they range from attack like Pikachu's Thunderbolt..." Pikachu let out a burst of electricity to the sky, striking a cloud which evaporated. "Support like Turtwig's Synthesis." Turtwig basked in the sun's rays, its body glowing. After the glow, Turtwig felt refreshed. "...And defense like Defense Curl and Safeguard. There are many abilities Pokémon can learn, in addition to hidden abilities like Chimchar's Blaze or Pikachu's Static. In addition, Pokémon can use abilities from types outside their own. Chimchar, a Fire-Type Pokémon, can use Dig, a Ground-Type attack; and Pikachu, an Electric-Type, knows Iron Tail, a Steel-Type move." The Pokémon nodded to the information. Syrus risen his hand.

"I'm not sure I understand but why do Pokémon use moves outside their own in the first place?" he asked.

"If one Pokémon has a Type Disadvantage like say Chimchar against a Ground-Type like Gligar, there are ways for Chimchar to overcome that problem: special training and move-set to give him comfort when dealing with the issue." Unbeknown to the kids, someone else joined in.

"I see we're having a study session of a different topic," sounded Sheppard. Everyone turned to the Chancellor. "You don't mind if I join?" Ash never hesitated to accept Sheppard on their lesson.

"You're more than welcome."

"Thank you. I should ask something. From what I've read, there are 22 different monster types in Duel Monsters: Warrior, Spellcaster, Beast, Beast-Warrior, Winged Beast, Divine Beast, Fiend, Aqua, Dinosaur, Dragon, Fairy, Insect, Machine, Plant, Psychic, Pyro, Reptile, Rock Sea Serpent, Thunder and Zombie. How about the types of Pokémon?" Ash had a moment to dig through all the types of Pokémon.

"Last I remember, it's 17." He began to count while reminding himself of the different types. "There's Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Bug, Flying, Electric, Ground, Rock, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Dark and Steel. It doesn't quite come close to the Duel Monsters."

"True but the variety certainly has what it takes in the long run." With Sheppard joining in, Ash continued his teaching. Bastion decided to raise a hand.

"Do you mind if I suggest something," he opened up. "What if we try being a Pokémon Trainer for an experiment and see if we understand these… battles?" Ash seemed to enjoy the idea.

"Sure!" he acknowledged. Bastion glanced to Buizel, the Pokémon that caught his interest after Ash was assigned to Slifer Red.

"Buizel, what do you say about us on this?" Buizel wasn't sure about a new alliance with Bastion as someone else wanted part of the experiment.

"Well, if you're choosing Buizel," Jaden voiced. "I'll go with Chimchar!" The little chimpanzee gawked and looked to Jaden, who nodded to it. Ash found himself with two duelists willing to try Pokémon training.

"Buizel, Chimchar, what do you say?" he asked his Pokémon. "Wanna try this with Jaden and Bastion?" The Pokémon thought about the idea before agreeing to show the two what Pokémon could do. "Okay, then… Let's see..." Ash pulled two slips from his pocket and a pen. Done, he gave Bastion and Jaden the slips. A quick observation gave Bastion a clue.

"These must be the move-sets of the Pokémon," he concluded.

"Yep. You have Buizel's and Jaden's got Chimchar's."

"Cool," Jaden scoffed. "Maybe we can do this battle tomorrow after class."

"Alright," Bastion agreed. "Tomorrow, we'll try this." Jaden wasn't the only one excited for tomorrow.

"I believe we all want to see how these two can adjust to Pokémon," Syrus said.

"Tomorrow should be exciting for all," Sheppard smiled. "And it's a good idea to do this tomorrow. The sun's on its way down." For Alexis, a good call.

"I agree," she yawned. "I need to hit the bath and sleep. I'll catch you guys tomorrow." As she walked out, Ash began to wonder about her time she spent with him.

"Is it just me or does Alexis have..." he stuttered.

"No surprise why Chazz wigs out at seeing you two together," Syrus shrugged.

"He's the one making a big deal out of it," Hassleberry pointed.

"Right, well..." Sheppard cleared his throat. "As I said, the sun's departing for the day. We've got testing in the morning so get some rest for it."

"Yeah, it's also Sandwich Day!" cheered Jaden. Ash and the Pokémon blinked at Jaden's information.

"Sandwich Day?" he repeated.

"You'll see. Well, see ya!" Jaden and Bastion retreated to their dorms with their chosen Pokémon as Ash recalled the rest. In an open-air bath by the Girls' Dorm, Alexis appeared to be sleeping in the boiling water. The 15-foot high wooden fence blocked anyone from viewing inside. Jasmine and Mindy entered the bath, towels covering their lady parts.

"When were you gonna tell us about your favoritism to Ash?" asked Mandy, waking the blond. Alexis wouldn't mind company but these two weren't the first on her list according to her face.

"It's you two," she mulled.

"Yeah, we can't help that you and Ash seem to click together," Jasmine pointed out. Alexis grew uncomfortable with the topic.

"Wait… You're not suggesting that Ash and I have been lovers?"

"Not just us but the girls' dorm as a whole. Everyday, you and Ash find time with each other." Alexis realized the two knew a secret she wasn't sure about hiding.

"So what? I had time after our duel to talk in which he told me stories like how he dressed in various costumes to fix problems involving people and Pokémon alike." Mindy and Jasmine awed the brief nitpick.

"Wow, he's more a man than Spazz or even Jaden for that matter,"Jasmine mocked. Alexis huffed a giggle from the comparison.

"I wouldn't go that far. Princeton, no question but Jaden? Not quite yet." The girls shared a laugh with this realization.

"At least we know those two aren't such Slifer Slackers, am I right?" teased Mindy. After some more laughter, Alexis sought out.

"Anyway, I'm gonna head to bed. See ya tomorrow morning." Wrapping herself with a towel, she left to the bathroom to change out. This left Mindy and Jasmine alone… to create a plan.

"So tomorrow, we'll find a way to make Ash a part of us." Jasmine plotted. "He deserves better than to live with the rest of the Slifer Slackers."

"At least away from Spazz," Mindy agreed. "So what's the plan?"

"Easy: We'll study Ash and find a weak point. From there, Operation: Ketchum A Date develops." A sinister plan was in development. Back at Slifer, Duel Spirits were in an argument.

"You appear on Spirit Day to duel a student who also has Duel Spirits," Hiita listed to Dark Magician Girl. "Win a contest that you're not suppose to be a part of and lastly, kiss my master on the lips while muttering a curse to lure women to love him?" Ash, Pikachu and Pharaoh watched the argument which did seem one-sided.

"Can you blame me, Hiita?" questioned Dark Magician Girl. "He's cute, his mouse dressed as Baby Dragon's adorable… I couldn't help it!" Hiita didn't believe the blond with her excuse.

"Yeah, like the time you kissed Syrus? Nothing happened but I warned you if you continued…"

"Okay, girls!" snapped Ash. "Listen, it's over and done with. It's bad enough that I'm stuck here while Brock and Dawn are trying to find a way here to bring me back." Hiita huffed a sigh, not sure if she should bicker about what Dark Magician Girl did or how Cyber Tutu solved it.

"Fine! Have it your way. It's bad enough that one of the King of Games' cards is now part of your deck." Dark Magician Girl thought Hiita got upset at Ash's attempt to settle the matter.

"What did he do to get you riled up?" she asked. "It's bad enough what happened to him but all we can do is help him with what time he has here." Hiita turned her head away, not willing to glare at her other once more. They vanished and peace resumed. Ash, Pikachu and Pharaoh yawned and hit the sack. Tomorrow would be a crazier day for Ash.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. Scrambling Scheme

_Chapter 9: Scrambling Scheme_

* * *

It was a big day around Duel Academy. The students took a test in the classroom as Mister Stein watched earnestly to make sure no one glanced at other students' tests. "Anyone caught peeking at other students' test will receive a zero on theirs," Stein warned. "Make sure that when you finish, turn your tests over so that no one can copy." Ash seemed undeterred from taking a test with questions that contained multiple choices. Pikachu slept, the silence wearing his mental state. Ash soon completed his test and turned it over. One item off his checklist for today. Soon, other students finished the test and turned their tests over. Stein hadn't caught one looky-loo so far. The bell rang to indicate the end of the day which Jaden led a charge to the cafeteria.

"Come on, guys!" he cheered. Typical behavior read the faces of Jesse and Alexis.

"Only on Sandwich Day does Jaden want to reach the cafeteria before anyone else!" huffed Syrus. However, a crowd had formed in the cafeteria before Jaden's cast arrived.

"Once again, patience is not quite the virtue we're expected to be," Alexis mulled. Ash still wondered about what made this day so wild.

"What's the big deal about Sandwich Day?" he asked. Remembering that Ash was still new to the Academy, Jaden decided to inform his fellow dorm mate.

"It's quite simple, pal!" he chuckled as he yanked Ash's head down. "Sandwich Day is a day we get surprise sandwiches. Some are good like a hamburger or a BLT and some are bad like tongue or ostrich. No two sandwiches are the same and we don't know what we get unless we bite into it." Ash seemed humored by the luck of the draw.

"Talk about building up suspense over a sandwich." Alexis had more.

"Technically, it's suppose to improve on our draw techniques when we start our turn of a duel or during a special card that lets us take a number of cards from our deck," she continued. Ash gave Alexis a skeptical look, not sure how picking a sandwich improves drawing a card.

"Here's the best part," Jaden spoke up. "There's a special sandwich within the pile: the Golden Eggwich!" Ash blinked at the name of the sandwich.

"The Golden Eggwich?" he repeated. "Like a golden egg?"

"Yeah, laid by the golden hen in the Duel Academy's barn. Everyone always goes for it." Ash began to realize the hype about the event, able to compare choosing a sandwich and Duel Monsters.

"I get it: luck of the draw!" Jaden nodded to the guess. Syrus backed Jaden with some uneasy insight.

"That, coming from someone who drew the Golden Eggwich several times in a row," he pointed out. Jaden nudged his head forward from the remark.

"Sy, I was just incredibly lucky to draw the Golden Eggwich over and over," he claimed.

"Right..." Suddenly, Dorothy came in with a trolley full of wrapped sandwiches.

"Okay, everyone!" she announced. "The sandwiches are here!" The students snatched a sandwich each. Jaden had more as his friends stepped away from the rest.

"Okay, you know the rules. No one peeks inside the sandwich until we all have a bite." Everyone nodded.

"Well, then," Jesse spoke. "On three. One… two… three!" In unison, everyone took a bite at their selected sandwiches. Syrus and Jesse rebuffed the taste of theirs. "Ostrich!"

"Not cucumber!" complained Syrus with his tongue sticking out. Alexis seemed to luck out a little.

"Grilled cheese sandwich," she identified. "Not bad, though they should limit American a little."

"Speaking of American," Jaden realized. "I got bratwurst! When did Wisconsin become part of the menu? Not that I'm complaining… It's good..." Ash stood frozen with what he bit into.

"Egg?" he muttered. The rest turned to Ash, thoughts that he won the sandwich everyone wanted.

"He got it?" gawked Syrus. Ash opened the sandwich, finding a rich fried egg cooked sunny-side up. The yolk had a shine of gold rather than the lively yellow.

"The Golden Eggwich!" both Jaden and Jesse gasped. The students had mixed reactions, some lauding and some disgusted that Ash pulled the prize out.

"I can tell why everyone likes this," he awed. "It's pretty good!" Pikachu also wanted to have the sandwich. Ash didn't mind to give him a piece of the Golden Eggwich, breaking the sandwich in half and keeping the one side with the bite. Pikachu wanted to add something to the winning sandwich and grabbed a bottle of ketchup. He covered the bread with the red tomato sauce as Jasmine and Mindy watched.

"Look at that..." Jasmine pointed out. Mindy saw the mouse and his passion of the ketchup.

"What do you know?" she awed. "Pikachu has an affinity for ketchup. This is a perfect setup for us. Operation: Ketchum a Date is in full effect." As they delve into planning, Crowler examined the test in his office. He found mistakes with plenty of tests he viewed. Next sheet had Ash's name.

"Let's see how much this Slifer Slacker screwed up," he grinned. As he scanned every answer, his grin dipped. To him, Ash wasn't much of a "Slifer Slacker" to his chagrin. "This cannot be! A-A perfect score?" Quickly, Crowler dug suspicions about Ash as how he did great on the test. "He cheated, he must have! There's no way that new student did this good on a test!" That's when he had a plan to cheat Ash out of the perfect score. Digging in his desk, he found a tiny bottle of white-out. "There's no way Ketchum will catch this." Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the Chancellor.

"Any reason you have one's test and some white-out?" asked Sheppard. Crowler froze at his appearance. Sheppard pulled the paper from Crowler's hand and studied it. "You do know, changing answers based on favoritism goes against Academy's protocol." Crowler couldn't win against either Ash or Sheppard. "Hey, he did really great! I think he's about ready to be a Ra Yellow, wouldn't you agree?" Crowler chose silence instead of agreeing or not with Sheppard. "Though, I'm getting worried about one particular Slifer Red student: Chazz." This alerted Crowler for him to turn to the Chancellor, a suspicion on his mind.

"He's been getting worse since that Ketchum kid arrived."

"Yes, I've noticed. I can bring him to Miss Fontaine so that she can diagnose his problem. Meantime, I'm going to check in on the battle about to take place." He began to walk out when Crowler seemed curious to Sheppard's plan.

"What do you mean a battle? We have duels, not battles!"

"True… In Duel Monsters, it's a duel. In Pokémon, they have battles." Crowler looked even more befuddled as Sheppard left. In an undisclosed area of the island with the sun on its way to the ocean, Ash and Pikachu waited for Jaden, Bastion and Ash's loaned Pokémon to arrive. Before long, Bastion and Buizel arrived.

"Ash!" he called out. Ash and Pikachu turned to the Ra Yellow student. "So, how did you do on your test?"

"Nerve-racking," he shrugged. "Some of those questions I got right away but some I winged." Bastion snickered to the stress Ash felt. Just then, Jaden, Hassleberry, Jesse, Syrus and Chimchar arrived.

"Sorry we're late!" yelled Jaden.

"We want to see this battle ourselves!" explained Jesse. As soon as there was clearance. Ash took the stand.

"This will be an exhibition Pokémon Battle," he started. "It'll be between Jaden Yuki and Bastion Misawa, and each will use only one Pokémon."

"Alright, Bastion!" called Jaden. "Get your game on!" Bastion seemed humored with his call.

"No matter what it is, you'll always say that, won't you?" he teased.

"It's kinda been my thing. Anyone that gives me a challenge, they'll hear it." A sigh was Bastion's reaction.

"At least he's honest about it," Jesse murmured. Ash stood back to avoid any errant attacks.

"Let this exhibition battle begin!" yelled Ash.

"Chimchar, let's start off hot!" cheered Jaden. "Flamethrower!" Chimchar unleashed a beam of fire from its mouth.

"Buizel, let's get to work!" prepared Bastion. "Water Gun!" Buizel fired a stream of water from his mouth. The attacks collided where the Water Gun pushed the Flamethrower back.

"Chimchar, escape with Dig!" Chimchar stopped fire breathing for the escape by digging a way out, literally. Burrowed underground, Chimchar escaped the Water Gun attack.

"Alright, where did that monkey go?" Buizel kept a watchful eye for any movement. That's when the ground began to move behind Buizel and Bastion to make a command. "Dodge using Aqua Jet!" Buizel cocooned itself in a veil of water before leaping out of the way as Chimchar emerged to tackle. Just late, it stumbled but reset itself. Pikachu watched both Pokémon in the battle, cheering both. Behind him and Ash, Mindy and Jasmine spotted the targets.

"There they are," Mindy sneered, their operation ready to begin. Their equipment: napkins and a bottle of ketchup.

"Let's get one close so that Pikachu can sniff it out," Jasmine plotted before both hid back. Pikachu continued to watch when he got a whiff of something in the air. Ash looked too focused on the battle to pay attention to his favorite Pokémon. He ran off to find the scent. Before long, Pikachu found a napkin with a red splotch, a flood of thoughts in his mind.

("Is that blood?") he squeaked in theory. Slowly, he approached the napkin with the aroma of the tomato sauce looming. He smelled around the napkin, aroused to the condiment. ("Ketchup!") A quick lick and taste confirmed that the red stuff. ("It's my lucky day!") He soon found another napkin with ketchup and ran to that spot, then another. Suddenly, he became suspicious to the new trail. ("Is this a trap by Team Rocket?") He imagined the trail leading to a pitfall trap and held up by two adults with a cat by them. One was a woman with crimson red hair in the shape of an angled tidal wave while the other was a man with ice violet hair. Both wore white uniforms with red "R" emblems. The dirty white cat had a gold oval coin on the front. They snared Pikachu and put it in a cage.

"We caught Pikachu!" they cheered. Pikachu shook the thought, ridiculous to believe the trio would be on this island when Brock and Dawn aren't on it themselves. He followed the trail when he found the bottle.

("The mother-load!") He ran up but before he could reach it, a net appeared, rising to the tree branch where he couldn't escape. Upset, he wanted to scream for help when the girls came to see him.

"So does that mean Phase One is complete?" guessed Mindy.

"Nope, that was Phase Two!" smirked Jasmine. "Phase One was monitoring Pikachu. Now we wait for Ash to execute Phase Three." Pikachu showed sparked from the sacs in his cheeks, angered at the deception. "Hey, calm down! We won't hurt you or Ash! We can still give you the ketchup!" Pikachu blinked at the peace offering from the Obelisk Blue girls. Meanwhile, the battle seemed near the end. Both Pokémon looked exhausted. To avoid excessive injury, Ash made a ruling.

"That's it!" he judged. Jaden, Bastion and the Pokémon gawked at Ash's call to stop the battle. Regardless, Ash smiled to the effort. "That was a great exhibition battle. Jaden, Bastion… You two would make great trainers back home." Jaden laughed to Ash's compliment, his awe not hiding.

"Thanks!" he chuckled. "Pokémon Battles are still new but I can see the rush you trainers go through." Chimchar hooted to the thrill of having someone be the trainer from Ash.

"If a question is in order," Bastion spoke up. "How is an official Pokémon Battle actually decided?" Ash didn't mind Bastion's asking.

"Basically, if all of one trainer's Pokémon can't battle anymore," he answered. "Like they've been knocked out, that trainer loses. It could be like this, a one-on-one, or it could be a full battle, six-on-six. There are trainers who can act as referees when an official ref isn't available."

"Right, because they'd have experience to rule," Jesse figured.

"Exactly. I've been in a lot that Pikachu and I can officiate a real Pokémon battle should the need arise." That's when Jaden discovered someone missing.

"Speaking of, where's Pikachu?" he wondered. Ash heard and looked down, Pikachu not there.

"Good question! Pikachu?!" The boys looked around the vicinity but saw nothing. "I'll be back in a minute." He ran in the same direction Pikachu flew from. As he looked around the wooded patch, he found Mindy. He guessed she knew what happened. "Mindy?!" Although her name was called, Mindy never turned to him. "Must not have heard me." He ran up to Mindy but one step caused his sudden downfall. The ground below collapsed and Ash landed on the floor with a painful thud. A cloud of powder billowed in the pit. Ash recovered. "Why do I have a feeling Team Rocket's involved?" His talking forced him to inhale the cloud. He felt woozy, not from the fall. "I… feel… sleep-" He lost consciousness. Mindy turned to see Ash, lights completely out. Jasmine came to the pit as well.

"So much for the note," Mindy shrugged.

"Well, it still worked," Jasmine scoffed. "Operation: Ketchum A Date is a success. Once we clear the powder, our little love machine will be a resident to the girls' dorm." Ash fell in a trap, tactically and literally. Now, the Obelisk Blue girls will make every opportunity to have fun with him and Pikachu.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. Fear of Overwhelmed Love

_Chapter 10: Fear of Overwhelmed Love_

* * *

Early evening. Alexis exited the Academy to head to her dorm. She missed the battle between Jaden and Bastion borrowing Ash's Pokémon, Chimchar and Buizel. "Another day, another lesson," she muttered. "Too bad I had miss out on watching the battle. I would've liked to see something new than watching duels every time." As she reached the blue-roofed dormitory, she heard commotion within. The random yelling from inside irked curiosity from the blond elite. "Pretty loud in there." Rather than entering, she walked away from the dorm. "I'll go see how Ash is doing." Unbeknown to her, Ash and Pikachu were being held captive by other Obelisk Blue girls. He started to come around after his fall in a pit, and those who dug the trap stood in front of the tied-up trainer.

"What… is…" he groaned from the stirring.

"He's awake!" someone shouted. Coming around slowly, he found himself surrounded by the white uniforms with the blue skirts, shoulders and shoes: Obelisk Blue.

"Evening, our little heartthrob," Jasmine teased. "Sorry to do this but we feel you deserve better than living with Slifer Red."

"Besides, we've begged and pleaded Crowler to have you nearby in the boys' dorm," Mindy added. "But if anything, we can take you and Pikachu as a consolation." One of the other girls hoisted Pikachu up, wearing a smaller uniform of the girls' Obelisk Blue, skirt included. His face had lipstick marks all over. He seemed exhausted.

("Too good to be true...") he squeaked.

"Never seen a mouse actually look good in this," the girl holding Pikachu giggled. Ash cringed at seeing his best friend be turned to a dress-up doll.

"And besides, Alexis shouldn't be the only one having fun with you," Jasmine pointed out as she straddled Ash's lap like a saddle on a horse. However, Mindy put her hand on Jasmine's shoulder.

"Let me go first," she offered. Jasmine leaned back as Ash's eyes lit up. They would grow as Mindy laid a deep kiss to his lips. Pikachu squeaked in fear, protesting his master getting their "love" from the girls. Mindy broke away as she tapped Jasmine's shoulder.

"Nothing against you." Jasmine wrapped her arms around Ash's head, her legs around his hips and the chair before sealing a kiss of her own. Pikachu wanted to help, but he didn't want to hurt the girls who wanted to submit their expressions to him and his master. Jasmine's lips separated from Ash's before she dismounted. "Okay, who's next?" The score of girls made Ash sweat when they all cheered to volunteer their hearts to him.

"I'm gonna need a heavy dose of lip balm by the time this is over," he muttered. As the girls closed in, Alexis arrived at the Slifer Red dorm where Jaden, Bastion, Syrus, Buizel and Chimchar seemed lost.

"Sorry I missed out!" she apologized. "So what's… going on…?" A new face seemed to spark some hope.

"Alexis?" noticed Bastion.

"What happened to you guys?"

"Have you seen Ash?" asked Jaden. "We haven't seen him since our battle after Pikachu disappeared." Alexis blinked to the question.

"Can't say I have," she replied. This worried Ash's Pokémon. "With all the noise around the girls' dormitory, I couldn't find myself concentrating inside." That's when a thought ran through Alexis' mind. "Hold on… Ever since Ash came to Duel Academy, those girls couldn't stay away from him!" Suddenly, the boys began to realize a connection to the missing trainer and the ruckus at the girls' dormitory.

"Are you saying Ash is being held captive in the girls' house?" Chimchar and Buizel grew more worried about their friend's safety.

"I could imagine Jasmine and Mindy but this is a bit far," Syrus gulped.

"The only thing that could be worse is if they treat Ash like a sex slave," Alexis pictured. "Let's go and see if he's there!" The boys agreed to helping Alexis in saving their new friend. Half an hour later, the boys and Alexis found the girls' dormitory. Seeing Alexis and the boys near the dorm, Jasmine came out to meet her dorm-mate.

"Hey, Alexis!" she greeted. "I was wondering where you ran to. Though, why did you bring Jades over?" Alexis' face wasn't one to play around. Her suspicion landed on her.

"Come on, Jasmine. Where is he?" Jasmine huffed a sigh, practically convicting herself for her plans on Ash.

"If anyone knew the ordeal, it'd be you. Couldn't go a day without your boyfriend, right?" Alexis gawked at her accusation on her relationship with the trainer.

"What are you implying?"

"You can't hide your feelings. Everyday, it's you and Ash, even when you two dueled." Alexis felt cornered about the ordeal. Jaden felt the discussion had gone long enough.

"Look, just let Ash out of your dorm!" he ordered. "That's all we want!" Mindy finally emerged, a Duel Disk on her arm.

"If it isn't the other Slifer Superstar..." she mocked. "And I did hear the talk from inside. If you want Ash out of this dorm… you'll have to duel us!" Jaden flashed a smile to the girls, willing to go with the idea.

"Seriously..." moaned Alexis as she palmed her forehead. "What happened to our friendship? Or was a boy that much to turn your back?" Jaden pulled out his Duel Disk, ready for another battle.

"Who cares!" he cheered. "If all you want is a duel, get your game on!" Alexis jumped at Jaden's will to perform a duel.

"Jaden!" The brunette reeled Alexis' head near his.

"It's alright. Besides, Bastion's got Chimchar and Buizel ready to spring Ash out of there while we're distracting them." Alexis seemed mentally worn with Jaden's sudden plan.

"I swear, it's like you and Ash are brothers in a bad reunion." Another girl brought Duel Disks for Jasmine and Alexis to put on as the girls took a break from giving Ash kisses. Once dressed, the Duel Disks adjusted for the duel. Once the decks entered the slots, the counters lit up with 4000 on display.

"It's been awhile since I've had a tag duel!" sneered Jasmine. "Mindy and I against our friend and the HERO duelist." Jesse and the Pokémon waited for the duel to start. They didn't have to wait long.

"Let's duel!" they shouted together. As the four drew cards, Bastion knelt back down to Buizel and Chimchar.

"Alright, eyes are focused on the duel," he whispered. "Go in and find Ash. If you need to use any abilities, do so." The Pokémon nodded before galloping in. Getting in the Obelisk Blue Girls' dormitory was easy. Finding Ash and Pikachu was another story. The stairs in the middle of the foyer leading to the second floor gave Buizel an idea.

("Take the upper floor!") it suggested. ("I'll scope out down here.")

("Gotcha!") the chimpanzee agreed before climbing the staircase. Buizel sniffed around the lower level, trying to pick up a scent. Chimchar noticed two open doors after climbing, one of them having a girl on guard. It hid behind a plant and pot as the girl passed by. Entering one room, he found Pikachu, still covered in lipstick and wearing the uniform. Pikachu stirred at the creaking of the door's hinges as he sat on the desk.

("Chimchar!") he squeaked in surprise.

("What happened?")

("Well, we've been kidnapped by the girls and after kissing me a few times, watched Ash get kissed by every girl in this house. It was a nightmare to watch, let alone experience.")

("I can imagine. Let me get these off.") Chimchar scratched the rope, breaking it to free Pikachu before helping him remove the uniform. Pikachu felt free from the rope and the clothing.

("Thanks. Ash is next door.") Chimchar bobbed its head just as Buizel sneaked in the same room.

("What the heck happened to you, man?") he chattered. Pikachu wiped as much lipstick from his face before meeting with Buizel.

("Nothing pretty for sure.") Chimchar agreed since seeing his face glossed over.

("Next door is guarded.") The news prompted Chimchar to grow in concern.

("That's where Ash is!") he hooted. Pikachu tilted his head down for a second.

("We'll need steam cover!") he opted. ("Your Flamethrower into Buizel's Aqua Jet charging.") Buizel and Chimchar wondered how it would work. The three huddled together for the plan. Outside the guarded room, a brunette girl kept an eye on everything while everyone else watched the tag duel. The Pokémon spotted the lone girl, rubbing her lips playfully. No question she took part in the marathon of kisses. Pikachu bobbed a nod to execute the plan. Buizel summoned a torrent of water to cocoon itself. That's when Chimchar breathed a stream of fire and nailed the water, thick clouds of steam billowing from the combination. The girl turned to see the steam coming her direction. She began to freak out.

"Fire!" she yelled before stepping on a stick of lip balm. She tripped over and fell on her back hard, knocking her out. The Pokémon came over to see her, the door now without someone guarding it.

("Guess that works, too!") Buizel shrugged. Opening the door, they found an exhausted Ash in worse shape than Pikachu. His face and chest had lipstick marks, his undershirt ripped to shreds and his breathing a little hard.

("Ash!") hooted Chimchar. Seeing his Pokémon, Ash felt he received help.

"Pikachu, Chimchar, Buizel," he weakly praised. Chimchar began working the rope to free his master.

("Man, and I thought Pikachu got it bad.")

"I'll be fine for the most part." Chimchar used his flaming tail to burn the rope to free Ash, now able to stand. "Let's get going." Ash let the way out before Chimchar pointed to the entrance. As they exited, Bastion waived them over to regroup and see the end of a lopsided tag duel. Jaden's Life Points at 3500 and Alexis' at 3350 led Jasmine's score at 400 and Mindy's at 550. Jaden had one monster on the field being a man in a white spandex suit with the eyes sticking out and a blade protruding from the crown. It also had blades that were attached to his arms. He also had a blue sphere in its chest. Its Attack stood at an impressive 2500 and Defense at a not-too-shabby 2000. Joining it was Cyber Prima, Alexis' monster with her attack at 2300. From their opponents was a half-blond man/half-horse holding an ax. Its Attack wasn't as impressive, only 1300. The other monster seen was a warrior with a weird beige head with antennae coming out of his hat which had goggles over a knit cap, a shield with its face on and a broad sword. He also wore maroon clothing. Its attack was even worse, only 500. Alexis had the next move.

"Cyber Prima, take out Swordsman of Landstar!" she ordered. Cyber Prima raced in to deliver a bash to the swordsman, making it crumble. Mindy cried out as her Life Points emptied to zero. One more monster and Alexis seemed eager to end the tag duel. "Let's end this Elemental HERO Neos… Take out Mystic Horseman!" The white being came at the horseman and cleaved the creature apart. Jasmine's stare of fear watched her monster become mince meat and her Life Points fall to zero as well. The duel ended.

"And that's game!" cheered Jaden. Jasmine and Mindy fell to their knees in defeat. Alexis stepped up to her dorm-mates with her ultimatum.

"Now, you'll release Ash at once," she demanded. "Otherwise, I can report you to the Chancellor about your conduct detrimental to Academy grounds." Having lost the tag duel, Jasmine and Mindy surrendered.

"Fine, take him..." murmured Mindy. Jaden turned to Bastion, a thumb up to tell him the mission was a success. Ash carried his Slifer Red jacket on his back.

"Well, that was a little fun," sounded a displeased Jaden as he started to walk away. Alexis had one more item to address.

"I'll be staying with Slifer Red tonight to make sure you don't pull anymore shenanigans," she warned before joining the boys back to the other dorm. While watching their friend, perhaps their friendship walk, a sly smile formed on Jasmine's face.

"Well, at least we had fun," she complimented on the execution of their plan. Alexis, the boys and the Pokémon made their stroll back. The incident brought back a memory from sometime ago.

"Remember when you had to rescue Syrus from those girls?" recalled Bastion.

"Yeah!" snapped Jaden. "At the time, Alexis was my opponent. It's actually nice to have her as a teammate instead. Though, I wished we knew about Ash's dilemma sooner." Winged Kuriboh emerged to see Jaden's doubting face. The coo had Jaden see his Duel Spirit. "You worried about Ash as well?" Winged Kuriboh nodded. "If you want, you can go check on him." Agreeing, Winged Kuriboh left to see Ash as he appeared drained. His Pokémon grew concerned about their master who endured a lot over the day from the test to the Pokémon Battle to the girls' trap to the many, many kisses. Alexis saw the hurt body that was the trainer.

"Ash, I can't say how sorry I am about what the other girls did to you," she apologized. "Even you didn't deserve their 'love' like that." Ash walked forward a little before turning to Alexis, his pride in pain.

"Let's get it over with!" he mulled. "I-I just… I-It doesn't really matter now! You're the only Obelisk girl left! Everyone else had a piece of me!" Alexis felt taken aback, the invite seemed too surreal to pass. His time with Alexis' dorm-mates altered his perspective to how he's been treated since the waterspout threw him onto Duel Academy. Hearing the commotion from the Slifer Red room, Chazz opened his window and saw figures too far to see. He grabbed binoculars and viewed Ash, his back facing him, and Alexis.

"Not again!" he growled. "Get away, Alexis!" Not able to hear Chazz, Alexis approached, her hand in a pocket in her uniform.

"Always on hand..." she muttered as she pulled out an individual pouch which held some moist towelettes. She tore open the packet, pulled the towelette out and applied it to Ash's face. She began to clean the lipstick, astonishing the trainer as Pikachu perched himself on Ash's head. Looking, he saw Alexis' smile. "Don't get the wrong idea. I like you a lot but I'm not stooping to Mindy's or Jasmine's levels." A tear fell from Ash's face. Alexis noticed the fear from everyone from her dorm affecting him.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. You don't get a lot of love back home." Ash's face free of gloss and lipstick, she cleaned Pikachu's face which didn't take long. "Oh well… I got more on me if needed. Anyway, let me give you this instead." Alexis wrapped her arms around Ash, hugging him softly. Ash felt her hug, noting her gentleness and comfort and how it differed to the other girls. Chazz roared in anger, furious about Ash accepting the hug while not realizing his exhaustion.

"That tears it!" he shouted as he stormed out of the dorm room, only to be met by Jaden and Jesse.

"Hold on, Chazz!" snapped Bastion.

"No, he needs to get away from Alexis _this instant_!" Chazz started to sprint but Bastion and Jaden held him down. The yelling brought Hassleberry, Jesse and Syrus out of the bedrooms.

"Leave Ash alone! He's in a ton of pain!"

"You want off this island by expulsion?" warned Jaden. Chazz pushed but was soon held down by the two wanting peace.

"Listen, if you attack him now, Alexis will want you removed from her life and you can't win like that! She hates cowards!" Hearing the threat, Chazz relented.

"Okay, fine, I'll stop!" he yelled but soon relapsed as he saw Alexis' head leaning to Ash and Pikachu's ears pop up. "Let me at him! Let me at him!" The two did their best to restrain Chazz as Ash and Alexis made the rest of the journey. Winged Kuriboh came to Ash, a coo in concern. Ash nodded, easing fears to the Duel Spirit. Upon reaching the dorm, Alexis watched Chazz's struggle.

"I take it you don't like me giving Pikachu some love?" she teased. Chazz stopped once more at the news.

"The- The rat?" Pikachu angrily squeaked, offended by the reference. Eased, Chazz risen after Jaden and Jesse removed themselves. "I'm fine if it's Pikachu or any of Ketchum's creatures. Just as long as it's not him." Standing up, he viewed Ash's wrecked clothing. "Man, you've been through a lot." Ash sighed to the obvious.

"I think Sy has a few extra undershirts he can give Ash," Jaden referred. Syrus heard Jaden's suggestion, believing him.

"Let me comb through what I have," he offered. Ash nodded before Jesse helped him to his dorm to relax.

"Anyway, I told those who practically raped Ash that I'll be here tonight to make sure no more shenanigans go bump in the night," Alexis relayed. Chazz gawked at her announcement.

"You're staying?" he repeated. "Well, I guess it's good to have you around. About time a real woman stayed in Slifer Red, not some runt like Blair."

"Sorry, Princeton. I'll be bunking with Jaden." Chazz balked, stumbling over slightly. In Ash's room, Hiita, Winged Kuriboh and Dark Magician Girl shared their words of encouragement for their trainer/duelist. His Pokémon, including Gligar, Turtwig and Staravia, aided in comforting their master. Dark Magician Girl sat by Ash, petting his bare back while Hiita patted his head.

"Just focus on what's ahead," she recommended.

"Besides, we're here to help with what you need," Dark Magician Girl promised.

"Thanks, you guys," Ash praised. Dark Magician Girl sneaked in a kiss to the cheek as she offered two soft slaps to his back. The Pokémon yawned. They're tired and so was Ash. Winged Kuriboh left to reunite with Jaden and the other Duel Spirits vanished. In the dining hall, news of the incident troubled those of Ra Yellow.

"I would argue that Syrus had it bad but know what Ash endured," Bastion shuttered.

"I know," Alexis agreed to Bastion's unsaid finish. "The right thing to do is report to Chancellor Sheppard… but I don't want to hurt the friendship I have with Jasmine and Mindy." Even though what her friends did was rather cruel, the last thing she wanted was the end of their friendship.

"Well, we all know how close you and Ash have been," Jaden pointed out. "We have no problem having you with us if you need to."

"How many times do I have to-"

"We know, we know. I think I understand what your relationship is. Trust us." Jaden did sound trustworthy. She wanted to put her trust in him.

"Thanks..." The group soon turned in for the night. Everyone slept, Ash more soundly. He fell asleep after the encouragement from his Duel Spirits. His exhaustion also had him forget to lock the door to his dorm room. That door creaked open where someone or something entered, eyes partially opened but not focused. The person reached the bed and without hesitation, leaned in to kiss Ash on the lips, much softer than Mindy or Jasmine earlier. The person dug the legs in the blankets, wrapped an arm around Ash and closed eyes. None of the Pokémon heard a creak, but Dark Magician Girl came out to see the sudden ruckus. Viewing the new sleeping partner made the blond giggle, wondering how Ash would react to who he's sleeping with. She vanished without a word said. While one… or two or several are sleeping in peace, one isn't so fortunate. He may be going through a nightmare.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	11. To Chazz it Up, Just Ketchum Now

_Chapter 11: To Chazz it Up, Just Ketchum Now_

* * *

 _Chazz wandered Duel Academy Island aimlessly on a partly sunny day. "I wonder how Alexis is doing," he asked himself. "Today's a good day to go see her." As he strolled along the shore, laughter ensued. Chazz heard and turned to the noise, finding Ash, Alexis and Pikachu on the beach. Still practically obsessed with the blond, he didn't like to have anyone around her. "How many times, Ketchum?!" Neither Ash or Alexis heard Chazz. Instead, Ash began fidgeting through a pocket._

" _I wanted to do this for awhile now, Alexis," he started. "You've been the biggest help since I came to Duel Academy Island… and I wanted to give something back to you." Alexis seemed interested with what Ash wanted to bring out. From his pocket, a little case that would fit in the palm of his hand. Alexis gasped, hands over her mouth, the surprise of her life._

" _Is this…" she stuttered. "Is this what I think it is?" Ash knelt down and opened the case, revealing a gold ring. Chazz gawked to the sight of the ring._

" _No way!" he protested. "You're not allowed! I refuse!" Turning to Alexis, he hoped she would turn down the proposal. "Alexis, say no!" Alexis removed her hands from her face, smiling brightly to the idea. Pikachu sensed her decision soon enough._

" _Ash, there's no way I can be with anyone but you! If you want my answer… YES!" Chazz's jaw dropped before jumping down to the beach to reach the two as they kissed. The landing caused the surface to collapse, the sand eating his legs before the rest of his body._

" _I… must… get to… Alexis!" He struggled and eventually, he unearthed himself. "I can't just bury my doubts like that!" He dusted himself off before looking around the beach for the three… but they vanished. "Don't tell me those two ran off to brag about it!" That's when bells echoed throughout the island. Chazz looked around for a little bit before finding a church. Chazz felt something not right about seeing a place of worship. "When did this island have a church?" Curiosity drew him toward the church where he found a couple in white. The groom wore a white tuxedo while the bride wore a gorgeous shoulder-less white gown and fingerless gloves that extended up her arms. "So that's what's going on. A wedding's taking place." He walked toward the doors and saw a mermaid wearing a nun's cloak while still in her shell. The green-haired sea creature with a blue scaly fin sat in the shell with eyes. "Isn't that Toon Mermaid? And what the heck is she doing in that getup?" Standing by the groom was Jaden with Jesse, Hassleberry, Syrus, Bastion and a taller dark brunette young man not far off, all wearing matching red tuxedos. By the bride was Blair. Interestingly enough, Mindy, Jasmine and Jaden's Burstinatrix stood close by in blue shoulder-less gowns. Also inside were various Duel Monsters, including Winged Kuriboh, Hiita, Dark Magician Girl, Ruby and the Ojamas._

" _We are gathered here today to witness the union Ash Ketchum and Alexis Rhodes in a Duel Monster wedding," Toon Mermaid announced. Learning, Chazz flipped out again. The proposal wasn't long ago._

" _What?!" Despite the loose sand, Chazz ran as hard as he could to reach the church._

" _Alexis, do you wish for Ash to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, and until death do you part?" Chazz continued to run until he smashed into… seemingly nothing._

" _Ow..." Alexis didn't view the decision as hard._

" _I do," she answered. Chazz peeled himself from the invisible wall he slammed into._

" _What's the meaning of this?!" Toon Mermaid, completely ignoring Chazz, continued on with the commencement._

" _Ash, do you wish for Alexis to be your lawfully wedded wife?" she proceeded. "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, and until death do you part?"_

" _Indeed I do," Ash accepted. Pikachu entered from the side and Blair lifted the Pokémon that carried a pair of rings on a pillow. Toon Mermaid had more._

" _If anyone has a reason these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Chazz pounded fiercely at the invisible wall, more irritated per second._

" _Alexis should be mine!" he roared. "That twerp doesn't even belong!" No one within the church heard a peep from Chazz. Jaden turned to the dark brunette._

" _So, you happy to see your sis get hitched, Atticus?" he asked._

" _Kinda," he huffed. "To be honest, I'd rather see her with you." Jaden laughed a little, not enough to disrupt Toon Mermaid. Ash and Alexis slipped the rings on their fingers._

" _The gods of the Duel Monsters' Realm: Slifer the Sky Dragon, the Winged Dragon of Ra and Obelisk the Tormentor have accepted these two as the unity of family. With their appraisal, I happily pronounce Ash and Alexis… as husband and wife. Congratulations, you two! Ash, you may now kiss Alexis Ketchum, your bride." Ash and Alexis quickly kissed and the crowd of Duel Monsters, Ash's groomsmen and Alexis' bridesmaids erupted with cheer. Chazz, still not accepting the wedding reception, equipped himself with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher._

" _This is my dream!" he yelled. "I may have to bend my rules if I have to have it my way!" He pulled the trigger and the grenade fired from the launcher. It hit the invisible wall and the concussion of the blast seemed powerful enough to shatter. However, the wall not only stood firm without a scratch, the concussion propelled Chazz from the wall and into the sands, head first. Fortunately, he seemed uninjured. He soon dug himself free but the church vanished… for some reason. "I didn't kill Alexis… did I?" Cheers from behind Chazz forced him to turn to find the same crowd waiving to the two newlyweds as they climbed on board a giant paper airplane, roped to a giant three-headed blue dragon. Chazz became startled with the massive beast. "Wait a second… How did Seto Kaiba get in my dream?! That's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" He soon saw Pikachu jumping on the paper airplane. Realizing the connection, Chazz sprinted to stop Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from lifting off with Ash, Alexis and Pikachu in tow. Once on, Alexis tossed a bouquet of flowers to the crowd which landed in Blair's hands._

" _Yay!" she cheered._

" _Have fun!" shouted Syrus. The Duel Monsters and students on the island waived them a fond farewell into the next step in their lives._

" _No!" yelled Chazz. He couldn't run fast enough and a foot found a sand trap which engulfed his legs. "I… won't… be… denied!" However, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and the paper airplane took off to the sky with the three sitting firmly. Chazz could only watch in despair as the newlyweds soon became nothing more than specks in the sky. "I lost Alexis to that twerp? What else could go wrong?" On cue, a tremor below himself. From despair to panic, Chazz tried to pull himself from the hole he was in. "Me and my big mouth!" He couldn't free himself and soon the ground collapse beneath him. He screamed as he plummeted to a black abyss._

* * *

Instead, he simply fell out of bed and onto his head on the floor below. Hitting the ground with a harsh thud woke Chazz to find himself in his room. "Ouch!" he groaned. He soon sat up, rubbing his head from the fall. "Man, that was a heck of a nightmare… aside from the Duel Monsters… and those pratfalls… it felt lifelike. Almost as if..." He soon believed his nightmare had a purpose than scaring him. "No! That's not a nightmare!" He got up with a grit of determination as the Ojamas appeared.

"Boss, what is it?" the green Ojama questioned.

"It's gotta be! Everyday, Ash and Alexis are together… and I know the reason! That dweeb is in love with my girl! I just know it!" The other Ojamas jumped in fear of his outburst in belief of the dream's supposed message.

"Hey, calm down, boss!" the yellow Ojama tried to ease. "You're scaring all of us!"

"I'll calm down when he realizes what I desire and leaves her alone! And there's one way to do it!" The Ojamas felt helpless in easing the raven-haired off his kilter. "We duel! It's time for him to Chazz it up!" He pushed open the door and stomped pass the dining hall which most of Slifer Red's residence had breakfast. Jaden was the first to see him.

"Morning, Chazz!" he greeted. "Ready for breakfast? Hassleberry made some-" He stopped after noting Chazz completely ignoring him. "Chazz?" Storming up the staircase, he reached Ash's room and pounded the door, full of rage.

"Get out here, Ketchum! We're dueling!" Jaden, Syrus and Alexis watched Chazz as he worked the door over.

"Chazz has lost it before," pointed Syrus. "But I believe he's finally gone off the deep end."

"True but why is he after Ash?" asked Jaden. "That knockout punch from before?" The bashing of the door concerned Alexis.

"Chazz, leave him alone!" she pleaded. Her concern came from last night after she helped rescue Ash from her fellow dorm mates who kidnapped him and Pikachu to a kiss fest. Chazz didn't want any lip from the one he desired.

"I'm doing this to protect you!" he growled before resuming the violence on the wood. "Get your butt out here, coward! I challenge you to a duel!" In the targeted room, someone did wake up from the pounding. Chimchar and Pikachu stirred along someone in the bed.

"Can't a girl get her beauty sleep?" a familiar voice groaned. The pounding bothered the Pokémon more than who was under the blanket. Chazz didn't wait to hear Ash get up.

"If you won't come out of there, I'll make you come out!" He punted the door open, his challenge more demanding. "Rise and shi-" A girl's scream bellowed from the room. Chazz gawked at who it was. Blair covered herself with the blanket, scared at the intruder. "What… the..."

"Get out of my room!" she screeched. Hearing her, those looking up at Chazz's surprised face guessed the source of the sound.

"Is Blair in Ash's room?" wondered Jaden. Alexis gulped that a young woman reached Ash after what he endured last night.

"Your room?" repeated Chazz. "I was sure this was Ash's… and are you..." Pikachu escaped and leaped into Alexis' arms. Chazz took a step back but had his head smashed by Ash's PokéDex thrown out. It caromed down to Syrus, surprisingly not damaged. Chazz lost his balance and fell down the staircase onto his back with another harsh thud.

"That's… gotta hurt," Jaden gulped. Blair felt embarrassed while Alexis and Pikachu, perched on her shoulder, arrive back at the doorway.

"Blair, you okay?" she asked. Pikachu squeaked in some concern for her.

"Alexis..." hushed Blair, still keeping the blanket tucked. "And Pikachu?"

"Yeah, what are you doing in Ash's bed? I stayed over to make sure he wasn't suffering anymore." Blair blinked, confused to the question.

"Wait… I'm in my room, right?" Pikachu pointed over her just as Ash began to stir as well.

"Too much noise..." he groaned, rubbing his eyes. Blair gawked at the topless Ash in the same bed she sneaked in. Alexis wasn't sure what to make of the scene. All Ash did was look. "Blair, what are you doing in my bed?" Blair's face bled red in utter humiliation. Alexis thought of a lie that could ease the trainer.

"I told Blair what happened to you and she grew worried," she fibbed. "She came to make you feel better about last night." Blair looked confused. She wasn't told about Ash's kidnapping. Still, this was someone in a higher level than her so it felt forced upon. "I'll let you guys get your coffee or whatever you need to get started." She and the other Pokémon chose to exit, allowing the embarrassed to straighten themselves. Blair turned herself toward the door, taking the blanket with her.

"Don't look!" she warned. Seeing her bare back, Ash turned away.

"Syrus gave me some new shirts last night after they freed me and Pikachu from the Obelisk Girls' Dorm," he offered. "They're on my desk. I won't look." Blair saw the pile and Ash turned his head away.

"Anyway, I'm sorry about breaking in your room, let alone get in bed with you… and sorry for what happened to you last night." She slipped a black t-shirt on.

"It's okay. I'll get over it before long." After she got out and to her room, Ash got dressed. A little while later, Ash got dressed himself, a green t-shirt over the Slifer Red jacket. He reached the dining hall but Chazz blocked the entrance.

"Not one step near Alexis," he urged. "You got that?" Ash didn't budge.

"You're mad that the girls in Obelisk Blue love me and not you. Jealous, much?" The steam slowly started leaking from his ears. Those still inside watched on as Blair came out of her room to see the showdown.

"Ever since you and that little rodent and those creatures you own came on this island, it's been nothing but the two of you! There should be no one but me to tend to Alexis Rhodes!" This argument felt personal to him and he didn't want to stay quiet. However, the incident last night gave Ash a worthy comeback.

"So why didn't you tend to her when she called for help getting me out of that situation?" The comeback startled Chazz, not willing to accept the dream foretelling the visit so far.

"Okay, that was a good comeback," Jaden scoffed.

"Stay out of this, slacker!" scowled Chazz. "I've had it up to here with everything you brought from your world! If you want Alexis as your own..." The moment he revealed his deck, Ash felt the challenge. "You'll duel me in the arena!" The challenge forced Alexis to come out to deny the idea.

"You can't!" she yelled as she dashed out of the dining hall and fixed herself between the boys. "He's been through a lot since last night! Give him-"

"I'm not giving him anything else anymore! Either he duels me or he leaves this island! I won't allow anyone to make this academy a mockery!"

"Look who's talking?! This is the exact reason that demoted you to Slifer Red!" That's when Ash grabbed his shoulder. Alexis turned to the raven-haired with a grit on his face.

"I've been willing to try some new card combinations," he smirked. "Anyway, Alexis and I can tell you that we're just friends but you'd refuse to listen to simple words. If you think there's anything between us, don't force it down our throats… and if you want to duel me… get your game on!" Chazz snarled at the words from Ash coined from Jaden.

"Next thing we see is him saying 'That's game'," he brought up.

"Considering that he's been with you since he arrived," Syrus pointed out. "I wouldn't be surprised." The news spread around the island on the duel going to occur. The students gathered in the arena to watch a duel take place. The entire island came to see this duel, including Sheppard and Crowler.

"We're about to see if Ash is really can hold his own in a duel," Crowler said.

"I certainly can't wait," Sheppard urged. "This will be Ash's big test. If he wins, he'll be promoted." Crowler gawked at Ash's sudden opportunity.

"What?! You're going to give him Ra Yellow just like that?!"

"He did get a perfect score on his recent test. A victory against Princeton will convince me to the step up." Both duelist began climbing onto the stage and stood in their squares.

"How does it feel to be dueling in front of so many people at once?" taunted Chazz as he revealed his deck to insert to his Duel Disk.

"Nostalgic," Ash replied with a smile and his own deck. "Keep in mind, my Pokémon and I battle in stadiums with bigger crowds than this." Once the decks entered the slots, 4000 Life Points on display on each.

"Let's duel!" they shouted together. Each on drew the five cards from their decks.

"I'll start," Chazz offered. "Besides, if you're going to duel me..." Jaden figured Chazz's next line.

"He's gonna fire the crowd up with his favorite chant," he predicted. Chazz pointed to Ash with a confident grin.

"...You've got to Chazz it up!" Male students roared in delight before making their voice heard.

"Chazz it up!" they chanted. "Chazz it up!" This made Ash a little nervous to taking the role of underdog.

'Great… he's got a cheering section,' Ash minded. His Pokémon began shouting for him to concentrate.

"Chazz is trying to get in Ash's head with volume," Bastion studied. Chazz drew one more card from his deck before he began the duel.

"Now I start the duel with Armed Dragon, Level Three in Attack mode!" he announced. His card on the deck, a hologram of an orange dragon with steel plating emerged. Its Attack stood at 1200 while Defense wasn't far off at 900.

"A level monster?" wondered Ash.

"And that's not all! I'll lay two cards face-down! That should end my turn!" The two cards appeared. Ash pulled a card from his deck. A nod told himself what to do.

"This turn, I'm emptying my hand." Chazz blinked to the ploy. Ash pressed a button on his Duel Disk that opened another slot with a marking of a four-point star. "Let me change the field with Chorus of Sanctuary!" A green card emerged with a picture of a brunette angel flying over rose pedals. "Any monster in defense mode gains an additional 500 Defense Points! Next, I'll lay one card face-down in Defense Position and four more face-down!" The five cards emerged in their spots. "And that's my turn." Ash's chance to launch an attack came and left.

"You wasted your turn with that stunt? Talk about pathetic!" He drew his next card. "Let me activate Armed Dragon, Level Three's special ability and upgrade him to Level Five!" Armed Dragon vanished for a new dragon. This red dragon looked covered head to toe in spiked armor. The Attack doubled to 2400 while the Defense boosted to 1700. "And I think I'll take advantage of your Chorus of Sanctuary by summoning Ojama Yellow!" The yellow Ojama appeared before crossing his arms. It had no Attack power but its Defense risen from 1000 to 1500 by Ash's card.

"Ready to go, boss!" it readied.

"Your moment will come, Yellow. First, Armed Dragon, Level Five; go after that face-down!" The Armed Dragon raced in at the card, flipping to reveal Thousand Needles. Its Defense had lifted from 1800 to 2300, not enough to stop Armed Dragon. "Trying to prick me, but Armed Dragon's Attack power is-"

"Not enough," Ash grinned as he activated a trap. The picture on it was a wall of a black castle. "I activate Castle Walls! This raises the Defense of Thousand Needles by 500 points!" Now Thousand Needles' Defense climbed to 2800, now enough as Armed Dragon attacked. The strike ended up puncturing Armed Dragon more than Thousand Needles. The Armed Dragon exploded while Thousand Needles remained intact. Chazz's Life Points spilled to 3600.

"Okay, I see what your game is! Using that Chorus of Sanctuary to keep you Life Points at bay. I'll let you make a mistake but after I lay another card face-down. By the way, you may have used Thousand Needles to stop my Armed Dragon but its special effect is about to happen. You see, if Armed Dragon battles another monster, it'll be destroyed at the end of the same turn." Ash gulped when Thousand Needles blew up. This left him rather defenseless.

"Thanks, Thousand Needles." As he drew his next card, the men cheering for Chazz increased in volume.

"Chazz it up!" they repeatedly chanted. Jasmine saw the chagrin on Ash's face. She knew he needed support.

"Come on, Ash!" she yelled, hoping her scream could cut through the chants for Chazz. "Don't give up! You gotta Ketchum now!" Ash heard Jasmine, feeling his confidence get a new spark.

"Of course Jasmine would back Ash," Alexis murmured. Mindy heard the call and opted to join in.

"Ketchum now!" she repeatedly chanted. Before long, more and more of the female students and plenty of males began chanting Jasmine's finish!

"Ketchum now!" they chanted over and over. In fact, they began drowning out the chant of the opposition.

'I didn't exactly ask for this,' he minded. 'But at least it's a good counter the whole "Chazz it up" chant.' Alexis shook her head softly to the war of support.

"I still want to get back at them for their mischief but even they know who they want to win," she muttered. The chant became such an immediate hit, Pikachu joined the verbal fray, getting a laugh from Jaden and Syrus. Ash drew his next card.

"Nice..." he grinned as he view what he drew. "Another new card I wanted to try. I summon Element Dragon in Attack mode!" A giant pink dragon with green wings and orange hair came out, its Attack registered at 1500, able to match Ojama Yellow's defense. "I could attack but nothing could happen so I'll end my turn here." Ash still played without a card in hand.

"I see!" snarled Chazz as he drew the next card. "You might want to hurry and stop what I have in store. I now summon Ojama Black in Defense Mode!" Once on the Duel Disk, the black Ojama joined the yellow, his stats similar at no Attack and 1500 Defense.

"Okay, Ash!" he called. "What do you have?" Hiita emerged and viewed the situation.

"The last thing I'd do is empty your hand on the first turn," she mulled.

"It's okay, Hiita," Ash eased. "I'm channeling the Eggwich catch."

"Real cute," Chazz sneered. "Play your next card. I dare you now that my turn ends." As instructed, Ash drew his next card.

"If you insist." He glanced to the card before nodded. "I play Element Soldier in Attack Mode!" Once on his Duel Disk, a man in yellow armor and holding a spear came out. Like Element Dragon, Element Soldier had 1500 Attack and 1200 Defense. Still, Ash did nothing. "And that's all I'm doing." That turn ended just as fast as the last turn. Chazz didn't want to keep monsters from piling. He drew his next card.

"Allow me to use Pot of Greed so I can draw two cards!" He showed Pot of Greed before pulling two cards from his deck. One peek made him snicker. "First, I'll summon the last Ojama brother: Ojama Green! This time in Attact Mode!" He slapped the card on the Duel Disk, standing tall. Like the other Ojamas, Green had no Attack and 1200 Defense.

"I know something that you don't, Ash!" he taunted. Chazz sneered at the next card he pulled from his hand.

"I'm about to put you in the corner! I play this: Ojama Delta Thunder!" The spell card revealed the three Ojamas with electricity emitting from them. "You think you were smart in making sure you didn't have any cards in your hand. This card debunks that idea. For each card in your hand and on your side of the field, you take 500 points damage!" The Ojamas emitted a blast of electricity that collected on the six cards on Ash's side before striking him. His life points avalanche from 4000 to 1000. "Now I'll take my Ojamas back for part two… and in turn, I'll let you have your Element monsters plus your Chorus of Sanctuary." Forced, Ash pulled his two monsters and his Field Spell card. "And I'm not done yet! I'm about to combine my Ojamas with Polymerization!" Chazz held the same card Jaden used in his duel. "I'm merging my three Ojamas to create… the Ojama King!" The three Ojamas came together and in a flash, changed to a giant white oval-shaped man-thing with a massive mouth and eyes outside the head like Ojama Yellow's. He wore a circlet and a cape to go with the red underwear. While his Defense stood incredibly at 3000, his Attack was another story altogether, at zilch. "And since he's on the field, I can shut down up to three monster panels!" Three panels on Ash's Duel Disk lit red. "Lastly, I activate my trap: Ojama Trio!" The trap card had the three Ojamas on there. Those three reappeared in Defense mode on Ash's side of the field, their Defense now at just 1000. Ash now faced Ojama King with Chazz's Duel Spirits on his side of the field. "And that ends my turn!"

"Boss, what did we do to you besides be an annoyance?" whined Ojama Yellow. Ash now faced defeat if he didn't pull the right card. He drew his next card. The crowd behind Ash increased volume, hoping their voice would carry to Ash.

"I'll admit, even weak monsters have a lot of potential," he confessed. "However, this duel's going to end."

"You're a fool if you think you can end it here and now."

"Which is why I don't think I can win… I know. First, I'll activate a card I had face-down this whole time." One of Ash's card rose, revealing Pot of Greed. "You've already played this card so you know how it works." He drew two more cards from his deck. "Next, I'll reapply Chorus of Sanctuary… not that it will help your three Ojamas you gave to me… and thank you for having your Ojama King in Attack Mode for this last move I have. Now if having Dark Magician Girl was a surprise, wait until I show you this." He pointed to another card face-down, now coming up. A magic card with a picture of a circle around a six-point red star behind two golden candle towers. Above the star, a blue fireball in midair. Chazz stood aghast at the card.

"It can't be!" He wasn't alone in that department of dismay.

"No way!" gawked Jaden.

"Sam Hill!" gasped Hassleberry.

"Impossible!" gulped Bastion.

"That's..." stuttered Syrus. "That's Black Magic Ritual!" This spelled an omen to Ash's turn.

"If Ash is using Black Magic Ritual..." Alexis started to believe.

"Ketchum now!" chanted Blair, adding to Ash's support. "Ketchum now!" Ash prepared to send the duel to its conclusion.

"The only way I can make it work is sacrificing two of your Ojamas from field and Element Soldier from my hand!" He discarded Element Soldier and Ojamas Yellow and Green became flames merging together. "Time to come out… Magician of Black Chaos!" When the flame created something shaped like a man. The flames snuffed, out came the same look as Ash on Spirit Day, only taller and leaner. His Attack registered at 2800 and Defense at 2600. Soon enough, Chazz began to laugh, a joke that found a punchline.

"Do you know how to do math?" he chortled. "Even if you did take out my Ojama King, I'll still have 800 Life Points and one card that will wipe you and your smug attitude out of here." Never wavered, Ash let Chazz laugh before adding more.

"I now play the Equip card, Mage Power! And give it to my Magician of Black Chaos!" He inserted the new Spell card in the Duel Disk which popped up. It had three hooded figures worshiping a cauldron of light. "With each Spell or Trap card on my side of the field, Magician of Black Chaos gains 500 Attack and Defense… And since this is my third card of either type on my side, Magician of Black Chaos has 1500 more Attack to dethrone your Ojama King!" Magician of Black Chaos's Attack ballooned to 4300. Chazz's laugh stopped the moment he saw the buffing. "There's a reason I don't make friends with selfish people: they don't know what weaknesses they have until it's too late. Magician of Black Chaos, take down the Ojama King with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Magician of Black Chaos fired a magic missile from the scepter which walloped Ojama King in a massive explosion. The blast launched Chazz from his feet and striking the railing behind him. He and his Life Points fell to nothing. Ash pointed to the down raven-haired. "And that's game!"

Jaden and Syrus sighed to Ash using Jaden's victory line. "You'd think he'd use something original," Syrus murmured.

"Can you blame him?" defended Jaden. "It's catchy, like the 'Ketchum Now' chant."

"The chant's catchy alright." The crowd supporting Ash came out of the stands to congratulate the victor. A few students became interested with his cards.

"That was awesome," a Ra Yellow student applauded. "Say, you want to trade your Black Magic Ritual and Magician of Black Chaos for my Six Samurai set?"

"No way, dude!" an Obelisk Blue student denied. "Those cards for my Dark Hero cards!" As some of the students fought to get Ash's cards, Mindy and Jasmine found their way to their hero.

"I knew you could take Spazz down!" cheered Jasmine. "You have the cards _and_ the costume?"

"Funny that you mentioned it," Ash came clean. "The cards _actually_ came with the costume!"

"For real?" gawked Mindy. "You definitely were meant to have it!" The two girls kissed Ash on each cheek. This time, Ash accepted it with a laugh of his own. Sheppard, Crowler and Dorothy came forward.

"Okay, break it up!" ordered Crowler. "Break it up!" As soon as the crowd mostly dispersed with Mindy and Jasmine locking arms with Ash and Pikachu running up to meet his victorious trainer, Ash faced the three adults. Chazz cried at the loss, his Ojamas hanging around.

"You didn't have Ojama Delta Hurricane in your hand?" asked Ojama Black. Chazz shook his head with his face buried on the floor.

"Ash Ketchum, your jacket." Seeing Dorothy, he figured the jacket would be taken care of.

"Just note that I did clean it the night before," he sneered as he removed his jacket and handed it to Crowler.

"Ash, that was a magnificent duel between you and Chazz Princeton," Sheppard complimented. "To go with the perfect test score, it is my obligation to award you the promotion. Ash Ketchum, you are now… Ra Yellow!" Dorothy handed Ash a yellow jacket which he put on. A happy Ash saw Pikachu jump from his head to his shoulder.

"How about that, Pikachu? I'm just as yellow as you!" Pikachu chuckled to the comparison. The crowd regrouped and lifted Ash in the air in celebration, They threw him and Pikachu up several times for the award. Evening soon came around with Jaden and his friends gathering in front of Slifer Red's dorm. Alexis had Ash's PokéDex to see other Pokémon.

"Ash, I wish you didn't go so soon," Blair whimpered as she hugged Ash. "You'll come and visit, right?"

"I will." Ash glanced to Chazz's room. "He risked humiliation for Alexis… and I thought Brock was bad..." Suddenly, a squeal.

"Adorable!" chimed Alexis before she hit play.

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon," it computed. The picture on screen showed a smaller version of Pikachu with lighter fur, pink cheeks and smaller tail. "Pichu is the pre-evolved form of Pikachu. Its underdeveloped electric sacs make it prone to shocking itself." To Alexis, she believed Ash found Pikachu as this Pichu.

"Ash must have found you as this Pichu, right?" Pikachu shook to the theory. Alexis became confused.

"Pikachu and I became partners on my first day as a trainer, long before I knew about Pichu," Ash clarified.

"Really?" Pikachu nodded to confirm the detail. "Say, is it alright if I have Pikachu again, and I can study up on the PokéDex?" Pikachu gulped to the idea since the time last night wasn't pleasant. "Don't worry. I'll be with you and no one else within the dorm will come close. I promise." Pikachu rethought before leaping onto Alexis' shoulder.

"Alright, I'll see you in school!" Alexis led Ash away as Blair began to tear up.

"Ash…" she mumbled. "I wish I stayed with you in bed." Jaden didn't hear Blair's sudden plea. All they knew, the day's done and Ash would be under a new roof. While the day ended in Ash's favor, something will come and support the loser of the duel.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	12. Sib About Love

_Chapter 12: Sib about Love_

* * *

Days past since Ash pulled the upset on Chazz and earned a promotion to Ra Yellow. Blair came out of her dorm and looked around the opening in front of Slifer Red's dorm. Jaden came out of the dining hall to find her. "Morning, Blair," he greeted. "What's up?" Blair turned to see Jaden, her face of concern.

"Hey, Jaden," she quietly muttered. "Is Ash gonna come back at some point? I saw him pretty happy about going to Ra Yellow." Jaden laughed, not concerned for a second.

"He'll be back! Syrus comes here, and he's Obelisk Blue." Blair wanted to believe Jaden. That's when a few figures came to the dorm.

"Hey!" shouted Jesse. He, Pikachu and Ash returned to the dorm. Aside from the Ra Yellow jacket, Ash now wore a yellow baseball cap with a lightning bolt as a tail, much like Pikachu.

"Ash! Jesse!" The group reached the brunette, exchanging fives.

"Sorry I haven't been coming around," Ash apologized.

"Nah, it's all good. Probably getting a feel for what's in Ra Yellow's dorm."

"Yeah." Blair smiled to seeing Ash again.

"Welcome back, Ash," she spoke.

"How are you doing, Blair?"

"Good. Kinda missed you around here." Ash scoffed to her reply.

"Well, you won't be missing me from now on until I leave." The news propelled Blair to hug the trainer.

"That's great," Jaden allowed. "No one's touched your room since your promotion." The information made Ash chuckle.

"I was kinda expecting someone to." Ash entered his old room with Jaden and Jesse which Pikachu jumped on the bed. That's when Jaden and Blair gazed upon Ash's new cap.

"By the way," Blair spoke up. "Did Dorothy make that hat for you?" Ash removed the lid to show the two Reds.

"Pretty cool, right? She liked Pikachu and how I'm pretty much the only one on the island wearing a cap that she made this cap with the Pikachu tail and ears." Ash reached to lift two "ears" from the sides. Blair awed the design.

"That _is_ pretty cool," Jaden liked. "Anyway, we'll let you settle back in the dorm." Jaden closed the door and let Ash and Pikachu reclaim comfort. As Jaden walked back down the stairs which he confronted Blair and Jesse.

"That's why you wanted to see him at the dorm?" he questioned. Blair nodded to the question but the topic wasn't clear.

"What are you two talking about, and could I get in on it?" Jesse got to Jaden and leaned in, whispering to relay information. "Okay… Yeah…" Done, Jesse twisted back away from his friend. "I don't see the big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal for me!" roared Blair. Jaden stepped back from the burst.

"Hey, I mean… If it is, you can do something about it! No need to be scared."

"I know, Jaden… I thought you'd be the one I loved after you knew I was a girl!" Jaden remembered that moment when Blair, temporarily leaving, called him "her prince." Now, that prince role had fallen to someone else. Still, he feigned to answer her issue. After some time to settle down, a knock from Ash's door.

"I think I know who," he guessed as he got out of bed. When he opened the door, Alexis stood in front with a serious look on her face.

"Hey, Ash," she greeted. Seeing her face, Ash wondered about her emotion.

"Is something wrong, Alexis?" Pikachu also wanted to know.

"I want to talk about it but could you join me close by?" The request seemed out of nowhere.

"I guess so." Alexis led back down the stairs before Chazz saw the two once again. His obsession to Alexis apparently never settled despite the loss to Ash.

"Again, and again, and again..." he growled before getting out of the house. Reaching the last step, he met up with Hiita who sensed something about this meeting.

"Hold it, Princeton," she called out. Chazz turned to Ash's Duel Spirit, not appreciating the interruption.

"Stand aside, Hiita! My girl's dignity's on the line!" Chazz's Ojamas came out to settle him once more.

"Boss, you're still after him since your loss?" questioned Ojama Yellow.

"That loss is the least of my concern! I don't care if he's the last man on Earth besides me, he's still not laying a hand on her!" Someone else became frustrated with Chazz's constant complaining.

"Give it a rest!" ordered Jaden. Everyone turned to the Slifer star, Chazz getting more irritated with his arrival.

"Not you too!" Jaden came up to Chazz with an idea.

"If you're that concerned about Alexis, why don't we go see what she wants with Ash before we draw conclusions." Chazz suddenly grew suspicious to Jaden's idea.

"Oh, you know something I don't?" Jaden shrugged his shoulders to the question but Hiita looked as if she held a secret.

"It may not be what you think," she warned. "But if you want to know, be our guest." No choice, Chazz nodded before rushing to find the two. Jaden followed the rival, hoping to calm him down when they find Ash and Alexis. After a while, Alexis stopped in an area surrounded by trees. Ash stopped as well. He chose to bring up a topic from within Duel Academy.

"I bet you're aware of the rumors going around the campus about the two of us," he opened up. "I feel like I should know."

"Yeah, I've heard the same rumors," she mentioned. Jaden and Chazz finally arrived but Jaden kept the rival back from interfering. "And I'll come clean about it but first… I bet you don't know Atticus if I talked about him before." It wasn't a name Ash seemed familiar with.

"First time I've heard of that name." Chazz grew a little suspicious about Alexis' brother brought up.

"Why the heck is she bringing him up?" whispered Chazz. Knowing she didn't ask Pikachu, Ash assumed he knew the name.

"You know what she's talking about?" Pikachu nodded but refused to say who this Atticus was.

"You see, Atticus is my older brother and he introduced me to Duel Monsters," she started. "I began following in his footsteps and soon found out he enrolled in this school. I met some great friends in Jaden, Syrus… Jasmine and Mindy… and some not-so great friends like Chazz and Bastion, that motormouth..." Chazz growled at being considered as "not-so" while Jaden chuckled at his chagrin.

"I'm a great friend!" argued the Ojama owner. "You just won't say it!" Ash listened to Alexis with interest to the mentioning of Atticus.

"Well, when I saw you, Pikachu and Chimchar watching Duel Monsters for the first time, I wanted to be the one who'd introduce you to how the game's played before you mouthed off about Crowler." Ash remembered what he called Crowler after he beat another student.

"The old hag because of his purple lips," he recalled. "I bet even Chazz wanted to say that meeting Crowler for the first time." Chazz seemed less enthused about the name-calling.

"That was the nicest insult to him," he studied. "Too bad you couldn't humiliate Crowler in the same fashion as Jaden."

"Don't be like that," Jaden scoffed. "He's not a member of the Duel Academy for nothing." Alexis had more as Pikachu dashed to her arms.

"I came off wanting to know more about Pokémon than I did about you to Duel Monsters," she continued. "Still, I felt the need to make sure that you were safe and… failed after my dorm-mates made you a kissing post." Soon enough, Ash started to make sense of Alexis' stance and why they saw each other day after day.

"You must have looked up to Atticus so much that you wanted to be a big sister to someone," he guessed. Alexis scoffed to the guess.

"I don't know if I became a big sister or you wanted to be a little brother. So yes, I do love you but but as a member of a family I want to have in the future." Ash smiled, nodding to her claim.

"Guess when you're an only child like me, you never worry about siblings but still, it's rather refreshing to feel like a brother to someone." Jaden, Chazz and the Ojamas stood aghast to the confession.

"Can't say I was expecting that kind of explanation," Jaden muttered. Winged Kuriboh, now appearing behind Jaden, looked surprised to the reasoning.

"B-Big..." stuttered Chazz. "B-Big s-sister? This whole time… like a… b-big sister? A-A… sibling bond?" The Ojamas shrugged their shoulders to the news.

"We told you it wasn't worth the struggle," they proclaimed in unison. Chazz nearly fell forward from the detail.

"I must be the biggest idiot on the island..."

"Hey, your words, not mine," Jaden pointed.

"You have no saying. I hate to do this but..."

"Of course you hate to do it, apologizing isn't in your nature." Chazz groaned to the briefing.

"That, and I hate it when I'm wrong." Chazz stood up and made his way to the clearing where Alexis saw him.

"So you heard us?" she accused. Chazz bowed his head, still shamed to confess.

"I couldn't help it if I wanted to make sure of your safety. I had a dream that you and… Ash got married and flew off on Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. It _is_ because of you two seeing each other each day that I felt the need to keep you safe from him. This isn't me… at all..."

"Yeah, I would apply that you're not the apologetic type." Chazz fluffed a nod.

"When I heard about your relationship just now… I was wrong." He now turned to Ash, ready to finish his remorse. "Ash, I was… wrong about you. I should have gotten that wake-up call when you used Magician of Black Chaos on me, along with Mage Power." Ash stepped up to Chazz, ready to say his piece.

"It's alright," he allowed. "Not a big deal." Chazz looked at Ash having his hand out for a shake. Chazz awed Ash's calm behavior to everything he did to break him and Alexis apart. "Besides, I wanted to apologize for that hook that floored you anyway. I doubt you'd accepted it due to your beliefs."

"Just like that?" The gesture made Chazz laugh a little. "You're more mature than I expected." He finally accepted the handshake. Holding Pikachu, Alexis sighed in relief, knowing any animosity between the two had dissipated. Back at the dorm, Blair came out of her room and reached the stairs to Ash's reclaimed spot.

"Jesse's right!" she caved with grit on her face. "Jaden's no longer the prince I want! It's Ash, and no one else!" She opened the door and looked around for Ash's Pokémon. The only place she could look was in his bag. She found different items like colored spray bottles, white bells, a stone with a lightning bolt in it… but no Pokémon, not his deck. "Of course he'd keep his pets near him. I gotta start asking around..." She bolted out the door, down the stairs and began to pursue the trainer. Getting far, she wasn't aware of someone lurking in the wood.

"You!" a voice echoed. Blair stopped at the sound, startled to the voice.

"Tell me I didn't hear that." She glanced around to find the source.

"Oh, but you did! The Shadow Realm will be a nice place for your soul once it's removed from that little body!" One turn had Blair seeing a giant hand reaching out to her. She screamed from the top of her lungs which could be heard from beyond the shores. Jaden heard her, as did the others.

"Blair?!" he recognized. The scream was of terror.

"Sounds like she's in trouble!" believed Ash.

"If so, let's go!" ordered Chazz. Pikachu led the charge before they found Blair in a bubble with a grown spiky white-haired man in a purple robe with the hood having a golden eye decal.

"Seriously, another one?!" gawked Jaden.

"Oh, don't mind me," brushed the hooded figure. "I'm merely taking her as my sacrifice! I am Ghast, and I'm in charge of collecting souls to bring to the Shadow Realm. Of course, the younger, the riper." Ash didn't want him to take Blair.

"You want Blair..." he spoke as he stood forward. "How about you duel me. If you win, you can have her and me. I will protect my friends regardless of location." Ghast never seemed bothered.

"You're a fool."

"And you're a coward." Ghast gritted the name given. "Attacking a little girl… Pretty low for a grown man." Ghast heard enough and brought out a Duel Disk, the arm sliding down to the standard position.

"No one insults my namesake and lives to tell about it. Boy, this will be the last duel of your life."

"It'll be someone's alright. I win, you leave everyone alone forever. You win, I'll give my soul to you." Ash slipped on his Duel Disk. When they inserted their decks to the slots, not only did their counters light up to reveal their 4000 Life Point score, a circle of black fire surrounded Ash and Ghast with Pikachu watching from Jaden's head. Chazz feared the scene.

"It's a Shadow Duel!" he realized. "Ash doesn't know the ramifications of having one of those!" With Blair on the line, Ash prepared for a duel which meant more than a win or a loss.

"Let's duel!" he and Ghast shouted.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	13. Soul-dier of the Shadows

_Chapter 13: Soul-dier of the Shadows_

* * *

Surrounded by black flames, Ash and Ghast engaged in a Shadow Duel. Each drew the five cards for the start. Blair hovered above in a protective bubble. "I'll go first," Ghast offered. "And I'll empty my hand to begin with. First, I'll play Poison of the Old Man!" A card emerged with a hooded old man holding a green bottle and a purple bottle. "Now I have a choice: I can gain 1,200 Life Points or you lose 800. However, I'll flip with this coin." Ghast brought a coin out to show. One side was green and the other side purple. "If it's green, I get Life Points. If purple, you lose them."

"Either way, you'll have an advantage," Ash argued.

"At least you know what you're up against." He flipped the coin up. It bounced on the ground before landing green up. "Well, at least I'll take the 1,200. What's the saying: lesser of two evils?" Ghast's score risen significantly to 5,200. "Next, I'll play Dian Keto, the Cure Master!" The next card emerged as a picture of an old green-haired woman holding a ball of light. "I get 1,000 more life points from this." His score risen again, now up to 6,200. "But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I'll play Sparks!" This card had a fireball flying over fire. "It's a little taste of a Shadow Duel. Sparks takes 200 of your Life Points." A small fireball sailed and struck Ash who winced from the projectile.

"Ah!" he snapped. "That's not suppose to happen!" His Life Points didn't do much but fall to 3800. Now he had a 2,400 Life Point disadvantage.

"Ash!" shouted Chazz. Ash turned to the young man who formerly hated him around Alexis. "It's a Shadow Duel! You'll take real damage when you lose Life Points!" Suddenly, Ash realized he was literally in a duel for his life.

"You're kidding!" Ash focused his attention back on Ghast.

"Now that you've had a sample, I'll end my turn with one card, face-down in defensive position," he continued. "And two more cards face-down. Let's see how you break through my rejuvenation!" Ash took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't back away from this duel if he wanted to. He drew a card from his deck.

"First, I'll play Different Dimension Capsule and remove one card from play!" Ghast nodded to his move but offered a small surprise.

"Good, that allows me to activate a trap, though you don't need to worry about it… too much! I activate Solemn Wishes!" One of the three cards from Ghast flipped up, showing a raven-haired woman showering in the rain while wearing a dress. "Allow me to keep it simple: each time I draw a card, I get 500 Life Points." Ash never imagined dueling an uphill battle.

"I see… I'll now play this: Yellow Luster Shield!" Ash's card came up, showing a monster surrounded by a veil of yellow light. "My monsters get a 300 Defense Point boost." To Ghast, this was his opportunity.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to do more. I activate Jar of Greed!" Ghast's card opened up, showing a red jar with a sinister smile. "This allows me to draw a card… and thanks to Solemn Wishes..." When he drew a card, his score grew even more, now up to 6,700. "I get another 500 Life Points." Ash cringed at being down nearly double to Ghast.

"Anyway, I play one card face-down in Defense Mode and two more face-down, and call it a turn." Crowler and Sheppard arrived to see the Shadow Duel.

"What's going on around here?!" asked the Chancellor. Seeing who's dueling and the scene playing out, one concept popped in their minds.

"Is this a Shadow Duel?" gasped Crowler.

"That creep kidnapped Blair and Ash is dueling to save her!" briefed Alexis.

"A smart duelist would try and find a way to deal with cards that increase the user's Life Points," Ghast taunted as he drew another card and Solemn Wishes risen his score to 7,200.

"You think I don't know that?" snapped Ash.

"If so, you'd better come up with a way to stop me. I sacrifice my Forgiving Maiden to summon the Great Maju Garzett!" What appeared from the face-down was a cloud of smoke before a man-like creature emerged with purple armor over pure black skin. Its head had a skull-like face with devil horns. "Great Maju Garzett absorbs Forgiving Maiden's stats and doubles it." Great Maju Garzett's stats revealed its Attack at 1,700 and Defense at a whopping 4,000. "Now, Great Maju Garzett, attack that face-down!" Great Maju Garzett raced at the face-down and punched it. Unfortunately, Hiita emerged. Aided by Yellow Luster Shield, Hiita's Defense stood at 1,800, barely enough to stop Great Maju Garzett. Ghast underestimated his advantage a little, affected by his score taking a tiny bump to 7,100.

"You didn't have to use me this early, Ash," Hiita scorned.

"Just trying to get in his head after he tried to get in mine," Ash explained. "Besides, it'll be good you're on the field."

"Is that so?" His only monster attack failed, Ghast had little choice.

"Don't think the momentum's in your favor," he growled. "I end my turn, but don't think for a second you're getting the better of me!" This allowed Ash to draw a card.

"You're complaining?" he nagged. "You've got over 7,000 Life Points. Trying to set a record in widest margin in a win?" Ghast mulled to Ash's nagging. "Anyway, I'm summoning Element Dragon… in Attack Mode!" Placing the card down, Element Dragon emerged. "You'll love this: since Hiita's on my side of the field, Element Dragon gets a 500 Attack boost!" Element Dragon's Attack increased to 2,000. Hiita understood why she's in action.

"Nice," she snickered. "That's why you brought me out." Ash nodded before eyeing the last of Great Maju Garzett.

"Go, Element Dragon! Burning Enlightenment!" Element Dragon spat a white flame that engulfed Great Maju Garzett, turning it to ash. Ghast winced at the demise of Great Maju Garzett as his score fell a little to 6,800. "Now as I end my turn, Different Dimension Capsule is done with its use and the card I removed is in my hand." Different Dimension Capsule faded off as Ash obtained the card he removed for the while. Ghast drew his next card, his score returning to rise as it was now 7,300 by Solemn Wishes.

"Ash needs to stop Solemn Wishes," Jaden pointed out.

"For that to happen, Ash needs a card to destroy Ghast's cards," Alexis explained. "But I haven't seen him use a card that could do such during any of our battles!"

"So either that Slifer Slacker has yet to draw it or he doesn't have it in his deck," Crowler guessed but to the wrong duelist.

"Last I checked, Ash is in Ra Yellow," Jesse corrected.

"Of course he's Ra Yellow! My opinions don't change as easily as you think!" Ghast readied his next move.

"Perhaps it's time to suffer from your overconfidence!" he growled. "First, I play Pot of Greed. I draw two cards." By drawing from his deck, Solemn Wishes aided his score again to 7,800. "Next, I summon Fiend Megacyber." Out of the ground was a golden armored man with a misshapen helme wearing a purple gown. Its attack stood at 2,200. However, seeing Fiend Megacyber's card, Ash had a question about it.

"Hold on!" he halted. "That's a level six monster!"

"Yes, but Fiend Megacyber has a special ability. You have two monsters on your side, thus I can summon this on the spot." Ash understood how this was possible. Ghast had one more card he wanted to use."I now will use your Element Dragon and Hiita to summon Lava Golem!" That's when two birdcages sprung from underneath and trapped Hiita and Element Dragon. Closed, a behemoth of molten magma pulled itself from beneath the earth.

"That's not good," Jaden gulped. The behemoth lifted the cages upward. "Ghast may have given Ash a death trap. Lava Golem does have 3,000 Attack but Ash needs to get rid of that in a hurry."

"Indeed," Sheppard cringed. "It may be with Ash but if he doesn't do anything with Lava Golem, he'll take damage." Ash gawked as he looked at the size of the Lava Golem.

"I'll place one more card," Ghast announced. "And end my turn." This allowed Ash to draw a card. As soon as he did, a glop of magma rained on Ash. He curled himself to stave from damage but useless. The glop nailed Ash and he felt the burn. He fell to a knee from the singe and his score fell to 2,800.

"That hurt!" he complained. "I'm starting to understand why Shadow Duels play for keeps." He looked at the card he drew. That's when he grinned. "Thanks, Ghast. Lava Golem is perfect for this play. I activate Black Magic Ritual!" Card of choice appearing, Ghast gulped at the turn of events. "I sacrifice Lava Golem to the ritual and summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" Lava Golem melted to a blue flame. As it disintegrated, Magician of Black Chaos emerged. At 2,800 Attack, Ash sensed the momentum's shift. "If I can't find a way to stop your Solemn Wishes, I'll just keep pounding away. Chaos Scepter Blast!" Magician of Black Chaos fired his magic missile at Fiend Megacyber but a blue bubble came out of nowhere and stopped the blast from happening. Ghast activated a trap.

"That was smart. You used my Lava Golem to prevent more damage and you sacrificed a bit of power on top. Still, you hit my Draining Shield." The trap card had a lizard attacking a knight but a shield stopped the attack. "Draining Shield takes your Attack and converts it to Life Points for me." His score skyrocketed to 10,600. Ash's attack failing, he felt forced to end his turn.

"I place one monster face-down on guard and one more face-down to end my turn." Everyone felt like Ash faced a mountain of a monstrous lead. Ghast drew his next card as the only one to be in his hand as Solemn Wishes boosted to 11,100.

"How is Ash suppose to win with that huge of a Life Point difference?" feared Alexis. Ghast wasn't going to let Ash get a break.

"Well, you realize what kind of hill you've got to climb," he continued to taunt. "I'll play Injection Fairy Lily!" The card emerged, looking like the costume Fontaine wore for Spirit Day, only this had pink hair. Her attack was at an abysmal 400. Before he used Injection Fairy Lily, his Fiend Megacyber appeared first in his to-do list. "Fiend Megacyber, take out his face-down!" Fiend Megacyber slashed at the face-down, it being Prevent Rat. Thanks to Yellow Luster Shield, Prevent Rat's Defense was up to 2,300. The attack wasn't enough and Ghast's score tripped to 11,000. His Injection Fairy Lily was next. "Now I'll offer 2,000 of my Life Points to empower Injection Fairy Lily." Ghast's score fell to 9,000 but Injection Fairy Lily's Attack blew up to 3,400, more than enough to take out Magician of Black Chaos. "Now, Injection Fairy Lily… eliminate that Magician of Black Chaos!" Injection Fairy Lily flew with the giant syringe ready to puncture Magician of Black Chaos and Ash's score. The trainer had other ideas.

"Sorry, but it's your Life Points that will be eliminated," he sneered. "I activate Magic Cylinder!" The trap card emerged as two cylinders with one arrow going in one and another exiting the second. A cylinder emerged and intercepted Injection Fairy Lily. It spun for a second before returning to Ghast. Getting her owner, the syringe plunged deep in the duelist. His score stumbled down to 5,600. Jaden and Alexis cheered at the reversal of fortune.

"Yeah, way to go!" he shouted. Having no more cards to use, Ghast chose to end his turn.

"I'll admit, you've got some luck with your draws," he groaned. If I had another card, I'd use it. It's your move." Ash drew his next card. Instead of immediately playing a card, Ash started his attack.

"I'm not going to chase Injection Fairy Lily, knowing now that you can give up a few Life Points to stop me," he warned himself. "Instead, I'll attack Fiend Megacyber with another Chaos Scepter Blast! And you can't stop this one." Magician of Black Chaos fired another magic missile. This time, it nailed Fiend Megacyber flush and Ghast's score fell to 5,000. His sacrifice of Life Points to empower Injection Fairy Lily started coming back to bite him.

"Ash just might pull this off," an exited Jesse wished. Ash chose to end his turn with two cards to use.

"I'll play one more card face-down in defense and one more face-down to end my turn." As Ghast pulled another card from his deck and Solemn Wishes giving him more Life Points to give him 5,500; Chazz realized the type of duelist Ash fought.

"So that's what Ghast is," he voiced. "He's an adjuster." The rest turned to Chazz, urging an explanation.

"An adjuster?" repeated Crowler.

"Don't you see? He's using different combinations with his Life Points to throw any balance Ash has." Ghast saw the only card necessary.

"I'll play one card face-down in the guarding mode and end there," he briefed. Ash drew his next card. Viewing the card and the quick turn taken by Ghast, Ash felt something off.

"I'm gonna lay this card down before I have Magician of Black Chaos attack that face-down," he commanded. Magician of Black Chaos fired one more missile that nailed the face-down, revealing to be a clay jar with a face inside. When the jar blew up, Ghast snickered.

"Well, looks like Morphing Jar was put to good use. Now we must discard our hands and draw five more cards." Ash's face pained. His only card was Pitch-Dark Dragon.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll get you back." He threw the card to the pile in the Duel Disk. Each drew five cards and Solemn Wishes raised Ghast's score to 6,000. Ash had little choice. "I end my turn." Ghast nodded as he drew another card, Solemn Wishes working once again, bringing his score to 6,500.

"Ah, here we go! I activate Shield and Sword!" A card emerged which had a knight holding two orbs of different color: red with Attack on it and blue with Defense. There were also arrows pointing to the other circle.

"Shield and Sword?"

"Any monster on the field will have their Attack and Defense swapped. For example: Injection Fairy Lily Attack was only 400 but with Shield and Sword, her Attack is now 1,500. Same could be said about your Prevent Rat. Its Defense used to be 2,000 but now, it's only 800 thanks to Yellow Luster Shield." Looking more, he found Magician of Black Chaos's Attack down but not by much, only at 2,600. "Now I play Soul Exchange!" The next card had a knight and a dragon with clouds of light crossing each other. Here, I can use one of your monsters as a sacrifice to summon one of my own. Your Prevent Rat is perfect. I'll use it to summon Marie, the Fallen One!" When the card appeared, Ash remembered it on his first day in class. Marie appeared.

"I get it! You had both Marie and the Maiden. All you would've needed was Polymerization to summon Saint Joan." To Ghast, it was still an option.

"Luckily, I have something for that as well. Allow me to play Polymerization! Normally, I use Soul Exchange and I forfeit using Marie to attack. But not this! I combine Marie and The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion to summon… Saint Joan!" Marie soon disappeared and was replaced by a blond lady with silver armor for the top and slacks for her legs. Her Attack matched Magician of Black Chaos at 2800. "This duel's over and I'll show you how: Injection Fairy Lily, time for another dose on Magician of Black Chaos!" Once again, Ghast risked Life Points, now down to 4,500. Matching Life Points to Attack, Injection Fairy Lily's striking power ballooned back to 4,500 before plunging the syringe in Magician of Black Chaos and destroying it. Ash cringed and fell to his knees in pain as his score fell to only 900.

"This is bad!" feared Alexis.

"To your demise! Saint Joan, deal the final blow!" Saint Joan stood in front of Ash and with no mercy, slashed diagonally across his chest. The blow was too much as Ash fell to his back. His score emptied. His defeat came and no one but Ghast believed it.

"Ash!" the girls shouted in fear. Ghast laughed, his second prize lying prone.

"H-He lost?" gawked Jaden.

"It can't be," Chazz hushed. "He beat me, he should be able to beat him." Ghast chortled to his apparent victory.

"I'll admit… If it was up to me, I'd bring you back many times to humiliate you over and over. You did put up a great duel, scared me a few times." Ash struggled to sit up, an eye closed and pain shooting throughout his body.

"It's..." he winced before shouting. "It's not over yet!"

"No need to be naive. You're out of Life Points. Per rules of the game, the shadows will have fun with two new residents." Ash reached his Duel Disk before hitting a button. What popped up was a trap card. This card had a hand giving another a purple sphere. "Relay Soul?" Ash finally stood, but his legs remain shaky.

"That's right! I have this card to help me in my time of need! As long as this card and my monster is on the field, I'm still in the duel!" He grabbed one card from his hand. "He's yet to fail me. He'll also be my trump card. I summon Dark Blade!" On the Duel Disk, Dark Blade emerged with his 1,800 Attack. Jaden, Jesse and Chazz cheered to the trap card now in play.

"Awesome!" pumped Jesse. "That's how you keep a duel going!" Ghast spat to the side, mulled at Ash's gambit.

"Looks like I'll wait for the next turn," he mulled. "And I have the card that will take out your pathetic Relay Soul." Ash gulped to the plan.

' _I wanna believe him,'_ he thought. _'Maybe he does have that card in his deck that's waiting to be pulled.'_ He looked at the deck within his Duel Disk, wondering if he had something to keep him at bay or finish Ghast off. _'This duel's riding on my last draw… but can I do it?"_ Hesitation stalled Ash's draw when…

" _Ash!"_ a young man's voice echoed in Ash's head. _"You have what it takes to be triumphant against your enemy."_ The voice sounded familiar to Ash.

' _Is that who I think it is?'_

" _Remember, you must believe in the heart of the cards."_ The voice clinched Ash's suspicions.

' _Yugi Muto? Jaden told me about you...'_ Ash shook his head, losing concentration. _'If that_ is _Yugi, I shouldn't throw in the towel. I can do this.'_ He finally fingered the top of his deck. _'Okay… Heart of the cards, show me what I must do to save Blair.'_ He drew. Looking, he nodded before standing up firmly. "That was your last turn, Ghast. I have what I need to end your evil charade." Ghast scoffed, humored by Ash's foretelling.

"You're saying that since you're on borrowed time," he snickered. "You can't really think that I'm done because you said so."

"You're right, I can't think… when I already know how it ends." Ghast believed it was an empty threat. "First, I'll activate Castle Walls and give it to Saint Joan as a mockery." Saint Joan received 500 in Defense despite not being on guard. "Now I activate Roll Out! Come on back, Pitch-Dark Dragon!" The Roll Out card emerged and further powered Dark Blade's Attack to 2,200. "Now, I can use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." Ash showed the card before discarding it for two more from the deck. Seeing one of the new cards had Ash grinning. "Next, I'll summon Mataza that Zapper!" Once on the Duel Disk, Mataza emerged.

"Organizing an army? Sure, Dark Blade can take out Saint Joan but apply some Life Points to Injection Fairy Lily and it matters not." Ash stood up with his plan still in fruition.

"Then perhaps I'll bring out my strongest monster… or girl to end Injection Fairy Lily." Ghast blinked, thinking it's a bluff.

"It's a lot to overcome 4,500 Attack power."

"Really? Let me apply my own Polymerization and see for yourself." Everyone wondered how Ash would have a fusion on hand.

"This should be good," Crowler mumbled. Ash looked at Dark Magician Girl's card, ready for her use.

"You ready for this?" Dark Magician Girl nodded, geared for Ash's use. "I combine Dark Magician Girl and Pitch-Dark Dragon..." Dark Blade dismounted from Pitch-Dark Dragon, surrendering power and his Attack back down to 1,800, and flew to Ash as his other Duel Spirit appeared for a ride. After a small flight, a flash. Pitch-Dark Dragon turned to armor and replaced Dark Magician Girl's clothes. Upon the end of the shine, Dark Magician Girl appeared ready for a brawl. Her new outfit had her hat looking like a mix of her hat and a knight's helmet. She wore a steel brassier and exposed her stomach and her boots were now steel and extended to her thighs. "Here she is… Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight!" The new look of Dark Magician Girl had the boys gawking at her new design as her Attack stood at 2,600.

"Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight?" repeated Jesse.

"Who saw _that_ coming?!" gasped Jaden. Seeing the new monster, Ghast chortled due to the difference in Attack with her Saint Joan.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" he cackled. "I find it hard to believe she's the one who can take out _either_ of my monsters! This is the funniest thing I've ever seen!"

"Perhaps this will provide the perfect punchline," Ash smiled. "I have a card that pretty much corresponds with me, my Duel Monsters and my Pokémon. It's also pretty powerful in the right hands. I play… United We Stand! Dark Blade, your brothers and sisters in arms trust you with this power!" Ghast grumbled at the card he revealed. "United We Stand gives my monster 800 Attack for each one on my side of the field. Since I have three, that gives Dark Blade a total boost of 2,400!" Dark Blade's attack jumped up to 4,200. Seeing the difference, Ghast didn't appear ready to concede.

"Big deal. You can destroy Saint Joan but that's still not enough for Injection Fairy Lily." Ash grinned as he held a card in hand.

"About that..." He threw the card into the slot and turned to his fusion monster. "This is what I mean by Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight being my strongest card. I use her special ability and take out Injection Fairy Lily!" Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight's blade was aglow before she carved Injection Fairy Lily to shreds. Ghast now realized his position as the leader ending. Sheppard saw the move, believing the end was near.

"This may be the end!" he awed.

"Here's my onslaught and my thoughts to what kind of coward you are… Dark Blade, take Saint Joan down!" Dark Blade slashed Saint Joan with both blades. Saint Joan crumbled and Ghast's score started to spiral downhill, down to 3,100. Ash got started. "Mataza, double time!" Mataza scored two direct hits on Ghast, the score falling per strike now down to 500. Not only did his Life Points collapse, so did his confidence.

"Now wait a second… I can easily stop this battle now and end it with your permission." Ash wasn't taking his word.

"You kidnap a little girl to take her to this shadow realm and you expect me to give you mercy?" Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight pointed her sword at Ghast, wanting no lip.

"No chance!" she scowled before giving him an overhead slice. Ghast screamed as his body blew back and his score dried up to nothing. To Ash, he sealed a win.

"You want to know something?" he taunted. "This duel… is over!" Ghast screamed as his body deteriorated to nothing. The flame around Ash, Ghast and Blair dissipated.

"He won?!" gasped Crowler. "Even after his Life Points were kaput?!" The bubble floated to Ash before it popped. Blair fell but Ash caught her before they both hit the dirt, Ash landing first out of exhaustion from the painful duel. He recovered enough to see the freed captive.

"You okay?" Hearing him, Blair looked at Ash's face still aching from the attacks. She latched a hug onto him.

"I thought you lost and gave your life!" she bawled. Ash embraced Blair in a hug to make her at ease. Jaden, Jesse, Chazz and Alexis came to check Ash after his duel.

"Where did you pull that win out of?!" laughed Jaden. "That was awesome!"

"I swear, I think your name should be Phoenix, not Ash," Chazz joked. "Because that was one heck of a way to come out of those ashes of defeat." Ash laughed to the idea of having a new name.

"That was the second time in Duel Monsters history a duelist won without a single Life Point," Sheppard remembered. Hearing that while Alexis and Jesse helped him and Blair up, Ash had a guess on Sheppard's records.

"Let me guess, a certain King of Games did it first?" he believed.

"Yes, and Yugi would've been proud of you." Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder to also compliment the win.

"I would've panicked if that was me in that duel," Alexis confessed.

"Hey, if you need help, Alexis," Chazz sneered. "I'll be there to protect you."

"You mean like the one time I was under mind control and dueled Jaden? Where was your help then?" Ash, Jaden and Jesse laughed at Chazz's misfortune.

"Good one, sis," Ash laughed. When Blair heard what Ash called Alexis, her thoughts jumped in dismay.

"Sis, as in sister?" she thought. "I thought Atticus was her brother, not you!"

"He is, but she wanted to treat me like a sibling. Nothing else." Learning the truth, Blair felt no need to hold back.

"Then let her be your sister and you as my hero!" She leaned in and kissed Ash, holding his head firm and not willing to let go. Ash surrendered any fight to stop her and the two appeared locked together.

"So, can we count that as Ash's second win in a few minutes?" giggled Jaden.

"That's certainly one way of looking at it," Jesse agreed. "Give them sometime alone?" Pikachu squeaked, liking the idea before leaping on Alexis' shoulder.

"You want one more night with me?" she wondered. Pikachu nodded. "Okay! This will be the last night. Trying to make sure the girls don't have a repeat performance on you and Ash." Pikachu accepted this as the last time he slept with Ash's newly claimed older sister. Crowler had a smug look to seeing the love between Ash and Blair.

"Young love," he mumbled. "It's overrated." Overhearing Crowler, Chazz couldn't let his opinion go without a word of his own.

"Says someone who has never been loved by anyone in Duel Academy," he pointed out. Crowler snarled greatly at the insult. Alexis and Jaden chuckled to Chazz's stab.

"There's one thing of Chazz I'll agree with," she snickered.

"Better get ointment for that burn, Purple Lips!" coined Jaden. Steamed, Crowler snapped at the three but his words bounced all over the place. The Chancellor saw the sun going down. He chose to wait until the two ended their moment to get them back to their dorms.

"Ash, you're something else," he whispered to himself. "You deserve an honor."

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	14. Maiden Voyage Home

_Chapter 14/Final: Maiden Voyage Home_

* * *

The morning risen after a near-loss. Ash fought Ghast in a Shadow Duel and, despite losing all his Life Points and writhing in pain, won. Blair, Ghast's hostage, fell for Ash after learning Alexis loved Ash as a sibling. As the sun's rays blast through the windows, Ash and Blair slept soundly. Blair had her arms wrapped around Ash's shoulders and her head nuzzled by his neck. Pikachu and Pharaoh slept as well, not disturbing each other. Meanwhile, something in the ocean stirred. A hole opened up within the waters. In Slifer's mess hall, Bastion made breakfast which alerted Pikachu's nose and stirred him awake. ("Smells good,") it squeaked. Hearing Pikachu prompted Ash to wake. He felt skin from Blair.

"I'm not dreaming?" he murmured. Before he could move, Blair unconsciously pulled herself to stay with Ash, keeping her "teddy bear" close.

"The shadows!" she whined in her sleep. "Don't leave me!" Ash softly scoffed to Blair's wish.

("You two look so cute,") sneered Pikachu. Blair opened her eyes after hearing the Pokémon and saw Ash smiling and awake.

"I feel so alive," he hummed. "That Shadow Duel… I've never been that scared in my life." To Blair, he faced that fear in the duel.

"Were you scared for your soul being taken or for mine?" she questioned.

"Why not both?" Blair laughed, forgetting the third option. They got up and out of bed, slightly disturbing Pharaoh. While they got dressed for the day, Dawn, Brock and Piplup dismounted some Mantine at the pier.

"Thanks, Mantine!" she praised. The Mantine dove in the water to let those journey the island.

"So, this is where Ash ended up?" asked Brock. Piplup wondered if Ash and Pikachu were alive. "I hope he's okay."

"No need to worry. He can't go down like that, even if Team Rocket tried that stunt on us." As they came inland, Ash and Blair entered the dining hall with Jaden, Alexis, Chazz, Syrus, Jesse and Bastion in an unusual fashion: Ash carried Blair in his arms like a bride. Seeing their entrance before Pikachu leaped onto the table.

"Whoa, when was the wedding?" joked Jaden. Jesse and Chazz laughed at Jaden's point.

"I just wanted to know if I still had strength after last night's Shadow Duel," Ash explained. Alexis chuckled before Ash let Blair down.

"You don't look like someone in need of rest," she chuckled. "Come on, have breakfast with us!" Ash agreed with a giggle and joined. Dawn Piplup saw the Duel Academy building, thinking someone might know where Ash could be.

"I wonder what DA means," she muttered. "Hey, Brock… Maybe-" She turned to find no Brock by her.

("Up there!") beaked Piplup as it pointed a fin to Brock meeting Jasmine and Mindy. Dawn saw Brock and groaned. Brock began to swoon the two Obelisk Blue girls.

"Not again..." Before she could hear what Brock proposed, Mindy swatted Brock's hands away.

"Get away from us, you creep!" she yelled. Jasmine planted a slap across Brock's cheek before Mindy kicked him in the head. Brock fell unconscious and Dawn palmed her face in embarrassment.

"Brock, they're not important..." Left little choice, Dawn brought out a PokéBall. "Guess I gotta find Ash myself. Buneary, spotlight!" The ball opened and out came a brown bunny with bright fleece around its waist and ears. "Buneary, if you can find Pikachu, Ash will be close by. Go for it!" Buneary accepted the search and sniffed. Jasmine turned to Dawn and her Pokémon, awed to the sudden surprise. Buneary led Dawn to a fixed direction.

"Are those Pokémon?" she wondered. In the Slifer Red's dining hall, everyone enjoyed breakfast, one perhaps a bit much. Blair fork fed Ash with Bastion's quiche he made.

"Open wide!" she chimed. Alexis and Jesse laughed, teasing the relation. Playing along, Ash opened his mouth for Blair to insert the piece of quiche.

"Blair, I'm sure he can feed himself," Bastion chuckled. Before long, Pikachu's ears perked up and turned to the door. Jaden and Jesse saw the reaction.

"Bro, what's up?" asked Jaden. The ears stiffened.

("Buneary?") he recognized the sound it heard. Suddenly, Buneary's chirping became louder and louder.

"What's that?" asked Alexis. Before Ash could answer, Buneary burst through the door and flew to Pikachu. The bunny tackled the mouse on the table as the rest watch.

"A Pokémon?" gulped Chazz. Buneary nuzzled Pikachu to which Blair cooed at the sight.

"Dawn's Buneary!" gawked Ash. Everyone looked at Ash in hopes of understanding his mention. That's when Dawn entered and found her Pokémon.

"Ash!" she called. "Pikachu!" All turned to Dawn, thankful to see Ash and Pikachu again.

"Friend of yours?" asked Bastion.

"Hey, Dawn!" greeted Ash. "You finally made it." Dawn sighed in relief in the sight of Ash in good health.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she huffed. "After that waterspout took you for a ride after you couldn't get your jet-ski to work, Brock and I thought you and Pikachu drowned." Piplup chirped happily.

"Yeah, we found out that the jet-ski had faulty parts within the engine that looked recently replaced," Jesse reported. Dawn nodded, agreeing to the detail.

"The sightseeing business is now closed indefinitely." This information irked Ash to question her and the Pokémon's arrival.

"So how did you, Piplup and Buneary get here?" he asked.

"Funny you should ask. Brock remembered a group of meteorologists having a Castform from Hoenn. He called them up and asked if they could create a waterspout and open the way to find you. We had to wait for awhile since they needed to gather the equipment and machinery to function." Some of the students awed the extent of Dawn's mission.

"You and Brock were pretty worried about Ash after what happened to him and his Pokémon," Syrus assumed.

"Hey, I wasn't going to tell his mom what happened and take the blame!"

"True that!" agreed Alexis before Buneary bounced to her. "So this is your Buneary that Ash identified?" She petted the bunny as Piplup waddled to Blair for it to be rubbed.

"I knew Buneary would find Pikachu knowing how much she likes him."

"I'll say," Jaden believed. Just then, Brock came by as dejected when Mindy and Jasmine denied his advances. However, seeing Ash began to brighten his spirit.

"Ash, you're okay!" he snapped.

"I was gonna ask if you were here as well, Brock," Ash scoffed.

"Tell me about it. So, what's with these people?" Alexis chose to answer Brock's query.

"We're students of Duel Academy," she replied. "We train on the game of Duel Monsters." Instead of letting Alexis continue, Brock latched her hands like she did Jasmine.

"If you teach me about this game… perhaps I should offer lessons in the fragrant bloom of romance, and I shall be that instruct-OW!" He stopped when glowing purple fingers jabbed at his waist. A blue frog with inflating orange cheeks nailed Brock flush. Brock contorted to the pain and before falling, Chazz snagged him by the earlobe.

"You're a few cards short of a deck to ride on her Rhodes," he grumbled as he pulled Brock outside. Dawn palmed her face again.

"Does this always happen?" questioned Jesse.

"More than you want to believe," Dawn murmured. "And his Croagunk has to refuse the idea." Learning about its name, Alexis knelt to meet Croagunk.

"Thanks," she complimented. Croagunk turned to the blond, curious. "That creep isn't someone I'd be interested in." To cement her praise, she kissed it between the eyes. A memory entering himself, Jaden questioned the kiss.

"Okay, so does Croagunk now become a prince?" he joked. A few laughed at the fairy tale point. That's when Blair noticed a sight of glum to Ash. His friends to pick him up, her time with Ash was about to end. She feared this to be the last time she could see him.

"So will this be goodbye?" she asked Ash. He turned to the voice with modesty on his mind.

"I'm afraid so," he answered. Blair became saddened that her new love wasn't staying. Ash felt the need to comfort her. "It'll be okay. I'll be with you in spirit." He handed Blair his Hiita card, even putting his name on the back. "My Duel Spirit can now be yours." Seeing the card, Blair began to feel better. His card used in his Shadow Duel would help remind her of the confidence he had to win and survive.

"I'll…" she stuttered. "I'll treasure it." She kissed Ash again, and Dawn's eyebrow twitched.

"If Brock sees this," she brought up. "He'll lose his head. I'm about to lose mine." After the kiss, Bastion called Sheppard to tell him the news. Then, everyone met at the front of the dorm, including Crowler, Fontaine and Dorothy who had something in her arms. Ash was back in the clothes when he arrived at the island. He handed the Chancellor the Ra Yellow uniform.

"It's an unfortunate moment to see you depart suddenly," he murmured. "But no one can say they didn't appreciate your time in Duel Academy." Jasmine and Mindy saw the exchange, realizing the boy they molested sometime ago in the kiss-a-thon was on his way out.

"I'm sorry this came on short notice," he apologized. "After all, I'm a Pokémon Trainer, not a card duelist."

"There's nothing wrong but at least you're heading back home." Dawn observed Crowler, her mind trying to make sense of his fashion.

"What's with this guy and the purple lipstick?" she whispered. Syrus jumped and covered her mouth with his hand.

"That's what got Ash in trouble!" he whispered back sternly. Piplup beaked curiously. That's when Pikachu and Alexis came out of Ash's abandoning dorm. Pikachu donned himself in the Baby Dragon outfit he wore on Spirit Day.

"Sorry, Pikachu wanted to wear this home," she explained as she reached the bottom of the staircase. Dawn saw Pikachu's look, squealing in delight.

"So adorable!" she chimed. "You look like a miniature Charizard!" Pikachu giggled to the praise as she snatched him from Alexis and hugged.

"I didn't know what a Charizard was until Ash showed me on his hand-held. It's suppose to be Baby Dragon." Dawn laughed, regardless of Pikachu's costume's name. Dorothy came forward with the items.

"Ash, while we will miss you, we want to give you something as a memento of your time here," Sheppard offered. Dorothy came forward with a new jacket and baseball cap.

"It's a jacket and cap combination of the three Egyptian Gods," she described. The sleeves were blue with muscular detail while the torso was gold. On the back had a decal of steel wings. The red cap seemed to have a pair of eyes and fangs with an aquamarine button top to cap the cap. "The head of Slifer, the Sky Dragon." She removed Ash's trainer cap to place on his head. "The torso and wings of the Winged Dragon of Ra… and the powerful arms of Obelisk the Tormentor." Ash dressed the jacket.

"Looking spiffy, Ash!" sneered Brock.

"Yeah, he looks like a fused Egyptian God himself," Jesse scoffed. As Ash modeled his new look, a screech from Crowler forced all to turn. Pharaoh jumped onto Crowler's back and freaked him out.

"Get this mangy cat away!" he yelled. Pharaoh jumped to Ash's arms and let Crowler relax.

"If it helps you, Crowler," he spoke. "I can take Pharaoh home with me. He can't jump on you again." Crowler rubbed his back to make sure he wasn't drawing blood.

"Go! Take Banner's cat! I don't care!" Alexis removed Pikachu's hood while on Dawn's shoulder for one last pet.

"I'm gonna miss having you and Ash around," she said. "Promise you'll keep Ash safe?" Pikachu squeaked to acknowledge her wish. "Okay..." She planted one more kiss to Pikachu on the cheek. The Electric Mouse Pokémon blushed to the kiss. Taking one last gambit for love, Brock approached Fontaine.

"Perhaps you can offer me some nursing for the wounded hear I've suffered for a long time," he nagged as he held her hands. "Many a strong woman have denied me and maybe someone like you can bandage the pain."

"Uh..." shuttered Fontaine. Luckily for the Academy nurse, Jasmine and Mindy wanted none of Brock to have her.

"How about we give you some _real_ pain," Mindy suggested as they yanked Brock away. Some screams echoed from Brock in pain. Brock laid on the ground prone and the girls dusted their hands before going to Ash.

"I wish there was more time to spend with you, Ash," Jasmine hoped. Ash nodded, forgetting that night with the entire dorm.

"Yeah, but I do belong in the Pokémon World," he proclaimed before handing out cards to the two. "These are the last cards I'm giving out. Everyone I know has pieces of my deck." The two accepted the cards, knowing Ash couldn't use them anymore.

"Ash, we know that you and Blair became the item but we still love you anyway," Mindy admitted. She and Jasmine joined in a shared hug after Ash put Pharaoh down to receive it. Dawn wanted to leave the Duel Academy and for good reason.

"Okay, now that you got your love from everyone," she nagged. "We better get to the Mantine and depart." Ash nodded, unable to wait in going home.

"Gotcha," he surrendered. Hoisting Pharaoh and Brock recovered, they parted ways to the pier… with Ash having one last word in for Crowler. "Bye, Purple Lips!" Crowler growled to the tease.

"I figured he'd have the last word before leaving," Chazz nodded. Jaden laughed as they watched Ash depart. As they neared the pier, Piplup sensed a feeling behind it. Winged Kuriboh tailed the group. Piplup freaked out, squawking frantically.

"Piplup, what's wrong?" asked Dawn. Piplup pointed to Winged Kuriboh and Dawn turned to see it, but all she saw was the sky. "What? There's nothing!" Ash realized that like he and Pikachu, Piplup could see the Duel Spirits.

"I know what's going on," he snapped. "Give me a minute. The Duel Spirits want my attention." To Brock, time wasn't on their side.

"Are you sure?" he questioned. "The hole that connects this and our worlds won't stay open for long."

"Don't worry. It won't take long at all." Dawn nodded while still having Pikachu on her shoulder and joining Brock and Pharaoh to the pier. Piplup stood by Ash to see the spirits for itself as Winged Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Ruby and Hiita appeared.

"So this is it," Dark Magician Girl muttered. "I guess we'll miss you, handsome."

"It's not your fault, Dark Magician Girl. I knew I was heading back someday." Winged Kuriboh came to nuzzle Ash and Ruby rubbed by his leg. "I'm gonna miss you guys, as well as the Ojamas."

"Hey, it'll be rough without you around," Hiita pictured. "I'll keep Blair safe for you."

"Same for me with Alexis," Dark Magician Girl promised. Ash nodded as he knelt to Ruby who licked him a few times.

"Thanks, all of you," he praised as he shook Hiita's hand and Dark Magician Girl offered one more kiss to his forehead. Piplup beaked to know the spirits were good-nature. On that note, Ash left and met his friends at the pier where the Mantine waited.

"Ready?" asked Brock. Ash nodded before they jumped on each Kite Pokémon.

"Okay, Mantine," Dawn ordered as Blair came to the pier. "Let's go!" The Mantine swam toward the hole.

"My sweet prince!" she called out. "I'll never forget you, my love!" Ash turned and pointed to his heart then at Blair. She smiled while Dawn's face formed a deadpan look.

"This boy _really_ makes Brock look bad," she mulled. The Mantine and trainers entered the hole, moments before the ocean closed it.

* * *

 _(Pallet Town/3 months later…)_

The morning rose over a town. In a white house within, a brunette woman prepared breakfast in the kitchen. She wore a pink blouse and green skirt. In a bedroom, Ash felt the sun hit his face while he slept. The morning came and time for him to wake up. Pikachu and Pharaoh continued to sleep while Ash came around. Getting dressed, he soon walked down the steps where the brunette greeted him. "Morning, son," she welcomed. "Breakfast is almost ready. I still find it bizarre that Sabrina came by Pallet for that cat you brought home." Ash heard the detail, scoffing to what occurred with Pharaoh.

"Didn't she say something about a spirit inhabiting Pharaoh?" he guessed.

"Yeah, that's what I heard." She gave Ash a plate with eggs Sunny-Side up, bacon and toast with a glass of milk. "So are you and Pikachu going to Professor Oak's lab?"

"You bet. I heard he found a new region he's suggesting. Too bad Brock's not with me anymore." His mother understood the briefing.

"Pokémon doctor, I seem to get." After eating breakfast and Pikachu headed out to this professor's lab down the street. In the living room was the jacket and cap from the Duel Academy. Ash and Pikachu entered the lab before the backyard and observed many creatures frolicking around. The Pokémon enjoyed the company of each other. Buizel enjoyed the pond with other Pokémon.

"If Buizel's relaxed here, I bet the other Pokémon from Sinnoh will like the company." Pikachu agreed and seen plenty of creatures in peace. Suddenly, a large blue mouse with red spots on its flank approached Ash and squeaked. He and Pikachu looked to the mouse reaching. "Quilava, what's up?" Pikachu squeaked to Quilava which it pointed back the path it came. The pursuit started… then ended with Quilava stopping by trees near the back of the land. "Someone here?" Quilava squeaked before taking Ash through the woods. There, his eyes saw what he thought wouldn't happen: Blair in her Maiden in Love with some weed-like creatures: pink pods with twin grass blades, blue pods with cotton balls and green pods with yellow flowers. His shock prompted him to greet her. "Enjoying the Hoppip Evolution line, Blair?" Hearing Ash, Blair turned around to see him. Her eyes lit up as she stood.

"My sweet prince!" she cheered before running up and hugging him. "I don't wanna leave you anymore!" Ash returned the hug, smiling that the one who loved him at Duel Academy reunited with him. Pulling off, Ash had an array of questions to ask.

"There are so many things I wanna ask you like what you're doing here and about Duel Academy." Blair scoffed to his bringing of the topics.

"I wanted to see you again. There was another storm near the island and Jaden helped give confidence to chase you. After I got to this world, people and Pokémon helped me make it here." Ash smiled to Blair's safe arrival but still felt something amiss.

"What about Duel Academy? Weren't you-" Blair pressed a finger to Ash's lips, silencing any talk about the school they both attended.

"I want to care and comfort only you. Jaden, Alexis, Bastion, Sy… And as for me in my Maiden in Love outfit… I don't want to think that I'm Maiden in Love but your princess." Ash laughed at the reason for the costume.

"I see now. Well, I guess what I can do is greet you to the Professor and my mom." Blair couldn't wait.

"Can we do it like we're a newlywed couple?" The idea reminded Ash of the day after his Shadow Duel. She wanted another ride in his arms.

"Okay!" Like before, Ash hoisted Blair in his arms, her leggings catching the smooth skin of the trainer. Blair settled and lifted herself to kiss Ash which he accepted. The two came out to the sight of the Pokémon who cheered the new couple. Duel Monsters and Pokémon may be different in their styles, but both sides found the combination with the humans. Blair was indeed… Ash's Maiden in Love.

* * *

THE END

(Okay, before I start the 12 Elements, Volume 6... two more stories. Both have Pokémon but one is a crossover with the Legend of Zelda. Both stories will start by next week.)


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